Chelsea appoint former Super Eagle Olofinjana as the head of its African scouting team

ENGLISH Premier league giants Chelsea have appointed former Super Eagle Seyi Olofinjana as the head of their scouting operations in Africa as part of an audacious plan to recruit young talent from across the continent.

Olofinjana, 44 had a great career for club and country, playing for a variety of sides that included Crown FC and Kwara United and then European clubs like IK Start, Brann, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sheffield Wednesday, Cardiff City, Hull City and Stoke City. A domineering anchorman in his day, he has 48 caps for the Super Eagles.

In 2014, Olofinjana retired from football in 2014 and since then, he has remained heavily involved with the sport. He has worked as an academy coach at his former club Wolves and also worked as a loans pathway manager at the club before taking up the sporting director role at Swiss club Grasshoppers.

Now, in a new development, Chelsea have appointed the former Super Eagles star to oversee their scouting operations across Africa. A graduate of the Ladoke Akintola University in Ogbomosho, Olofinjana stands out among his peers because of his education and how polished he is.

Chelsea have a strong presence in Africa, especially in Nigeria where most football fans follow English Premier League clubs. Olofinjana will not be the first Nigerian to work for Chelsea as a backroom staff as Michael Emenalo worked as the club's coaching assistant and a technical director between 2010 and 2019.