Having turned 18 on Sunday, the Nigeria youth international has signed his first professional contract with the Swedish top-flight outfit
Akinkunmi Amoo has teamed up with Swedish elite division side Hammarby on a four-year-deal from Nigeria’s Sidos FC.
The midfielder who clocked 18 on Sunday will continue his progression with the Stockholm based outfit partly owned by football great Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Amoo is currently in Nigeria owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and he will join the Bajen as soon as the ban is lifted on air travel.
In a statement published on the club’s website on Monday, the move was sealed after the teenager chose the team ahead of other suitors and they have vowed to be patient with him.
“We have worked with Amoo, or “Akin” as he is called, for the past two years,” sports manager Jesper Jansson said.
“There has been some interest from other clubs, but during the time we have known each other we have built a strong relationship and we are very happy that Akin chose us.
“Our coaching staff, our players and not least Mikael Hjelmberg and Wadda Tamimi have been extremely involved in making Akin feel like part of the family at Årsta.
“With Akin, we get into an explosive, skilful and offensive player with a nice left foot. But we have to remember that he has just turned 18, so we should have patience and work together to further develop Akin’s excellence.”
Hammarby’s CEO Henrik Kindlund also expressed his delight having the former Golden Eaglets’ star in their fold.
“We have had an agreement with Amoo and his family, that if he wants to choose us when he is 18, he is welcome to Hammarby,” said Kindlund.
“Now we warmly welcome him to Hammarby. Although we have a tough time in these corona times, we have felt that we need to stand by our word and that is why we have chosen to go ahead and sign an agreement with Amoo.
“In addition to the purely moral we have also spent a lot of time to follow and develop Amoo as a player, it would feel tough to throw that effort overboard now.”
With this move, he becomes the second African after Gabon international Serge-Junior Ngouali, in manager Stefan Billborn.
Amoo was part of Manu Garba’s Nigeria U17 squad for the 2019 Fifa World Cup in Brazil. Nigeria crashed out of the Round of 16 owing to a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands at Goiania’s Estadio Olimpico.
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