Shamrcok Rovers have signed long term target and Tallaght native Jonathan Afolabi
Rovers add firepower with Afolabi signing
SHAMROCK Rovers have confirmed the signing of Tallaght native and former Bohemians striker Jonathan Afolabi from KV Kortrijk of Belgium.
Afolabi is a familiar name for League of Ireland fans after a spell with Bohemians in 2022 and 2023 that saw him score 21 goals in 44 games.
He scored 15 league goals in the 2023 season which saw him finish as joint top scorer alongside Ireland international and current Lincoln star Jack Moylan who was with Shelbourne at the time.
Afolabi has not been as clinical in Belgium where he has found limited game time due to injury over the past three years.
Spending time in the club’s youth academy, Afolabi returns to Rovers now looking to fire his way back into the form that had him called up into preliminary Ireland squads back in 2023.
Stephen Bradley is a longtime admirer and confirms that Afolabi has been on his radar for a while.
“He has been for some time. I was laughing about it with Jonathan and his agent this morning.
‘We’re delighted to get this done because Jonathan had options here and also away in Belgium and England. So we’re delighted he sees the next step of his career at this club. Jonathan is a really good age, a really good profile for us and is someone I feel will complement the team and vice versa.
‘We know he’s a player of really high ability who I believe will help us kick on to the next level.”
“There won’t be any real bedding-in period. He had an injury this year, but he has worked hard to come back from it and has been training the last while.
‘He won’t be ninety minutes ready yet, but it won’t be much in terms of mentally getting his head around it, being here as he understands what the league is about.”
The move comes ahead of Rover’s European fixtures with the addition of Afolabi providing a welcome boost to their forward line during this period of congested fixtures.
The player himself commented on the move and his aims with the club.
“It’s a great feeling. I played here for a few years when I was younger, so it’s nice to be back at Rovers, obviously a good few years later. I always have the same goals everywhere I go. It’s just unfortunate with injuries in the last year. So everywhere I go, I want to score goals.”
The long-term interest from Bradley also played a part in his decision to join Rovers.
“Yeah, definitely. He’s laid out a very clear plan for me and it aligns with what I want as well.
‘It was a very easy decision in the end because it’s someone that wants the best for you. So in that sense, the call was very easy. It didn’t really take much to convince me.”
