Watford retain Nigerian teenage defender Hamzat Balogun offering him a new scholarship contract

ENGLISH Championship side Watford  have offered Nigerian teenage defender Hamzat Balogun a new academy contract that will extend his stay at Vicarage Road in appreciation of his recent performances.

Like most other clubs, Watford has just published the list of players it has retained and released at the end of the 2022/23 season. Balogun, 18, who has put in impressive performances for Watford's U18 side over the course of the 2022/23 season, was a second year scholar and has been offered a contract to extend his stay as a result of his sterling performances.

Balogun was on the books of Manchester United for close to a decade before signing scholarship forms with Watford in August 2021.  If he agrees to sign the new deal, he would be following in the footsteps of another player of Nigerian descent Tobi Adeyemo, who signed his first professional contract with Watford two months ago.

An attacking and defensive fullback, Balogun has cited cap-tied Austria international of Nigerian descent David Alaba as his role model. Last season, Balogun  helped Watford U21s qualify for the finals of the Herts Senior Challenge Cup and also starred as the U18s reached the fifth round of the prestigious FA Youth Cup.

Watford have a lot of Nigerians ion their books at the moment. In their senior squad, Tom Dele-Bashiru, Super Eagles vice captain William Troost-Ekong, winger  Joseph Hungbo and goalkeeper Maduka Okoye have all been retained.