Southampton sign scholarship deal with Nigerian central defender Abdulhalim Okonola-Matthews

ENGLISH Championship side Southampton have offered a football scholarship to Golden Eaglets-eligible central defender Abdulhalim Okonola-Matthews as they prepare for the forthcoming 2023/24 season.

At the end of last season, Southampton were relegated for the English Premier League and are now looking to get promoted and regain their old status.  As part of these plans, the club has announced their new intake of academy scholars for the 2023/24 season, subject to Football Association and English Football League approval.

Southampton's list of scholars is made up of 15youngsters, consisting of 10 that have risen through the academy ranks and five new arrivals. They have all signed scholarship forms and have been promoted to the club's U18 squad, with Okonola-Matthews being one of the new arrivals after his recent release by Chelsea.

Despite being a defender, Okonola-Matthews models his playing style after former Manchester United star and 2018 World Cup winner Paul Pogba. Before joining Chelsea in 2022, Okonola-Matthews played for London grassroots team Levels FC and will now aim to make his debut in the U18 Premier League in the forthcoming season.

Meanwhile, another teenager of Nigerian descent, Nicholas Oyekunle, who has been tipped as a star of the future, has renewed his scholarship deal with the Saints. A centre forward by trade, Oyekunle scored four goals in 10 appearances for Southampton in the U18 Premier League last season.