The Chairman of Triple 44 Football Academy, Olatunji Okuku, during an exclusive interview with Footy-Africa paid a glowing tribute to striker David Olorunfemi following his transfer to Finnish powerhouse HJK Helsinki, describing the youngster as a rare breed possessing both world-class talent and elite mentality.
The highly-rated forward finalized his move from the Nigerian academy on Thursday after successfully passing his medical examinations.
Speaking exclusively with Footy-Africa following the announcement, an elated Okuku praised the departed striker’s unwavering commitment and dedication to the game, especially in the face of recent career setbacks.
”It’s very refreshing for me,” Okuku told Footy-Africa. “In the last 12 and a half years that I’ve been in football, I’ve met a lot of players. Most times, you only get players who have ‘A’ talent but ‘B’ or ‘C’ mentality, or vice versa. Rarely do you see a player who gets an ‘A’ in both mentality and talent, but David belongs to that category.”
Resilience amid transfer heartbreaks
Olorunfemi has long been regarded as one of the finest grassroots prospects in Nigeria. He was on the verge of joining Swedish top-flight side Elfsborg last year, but the move collapsed due to work permit complications—one of several high-profile deals that fell through.
”Apart from the turbulent past two years he’s had—especially with the work permit issues—it was so tough for him losing several major deals,” Okuku disclosed. “I’m talking about five very good options. The club that just won the Danish championship was on the table, I had three clubs from Sweden, Dynamo Kyiv from Ukraine, and AGF Aarhus, among others.”
Despite the consecutive disappointments, Okuku revealed he was profoundly moved by the striker’s psychological resilience and professionalism.
”For us not to be able to move forward after those deals fell through was tough, and I felt like he would be mad or pained. Sometimes in training, I looked out for him, expecting to see his head down, sad or dejected. But he never showed any of that. Everybody loves him.”
”Another remarkable thing about him is his application in high-intensity training. Despite the heavy tackles David suffers from defenders daily, you will never see him react negatively or stay on the ground complaining. Those traits give me high hopes that David is going to be one of the best strikers of his generation.”
Blend of Boniface and Benzema
Tactically, Olorunfemi has drawn internal comparisons to Erling Haaland and Karim Benzema due to his lethal finishing inside the penalty area and intelligent link-up play.
However, Okuku sees a closer resemblence to a current Super Eagles star, albeit with an added aerial advantage.
”He can play effectively as a lone striker. He is more or less like Victor Boniface with the way he plays smartly, but the key difference is that David has elite ball-striking and immense box presence,” Okuku explained.
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”If you need him to stay and fight in the box like an animal, he will do it. He scores simple goals and spectacular goals alike. I would say he’s a blend of Karim Benzema and Boniface, but he is also exceptionally good in the air. I don’t think Boniface scores a lot of headers, but David does. He’s big, standing at around 186 or 187 centimeters.”
Contract details revealed
HJK Helsinki have already integrated the forward into their first-team squad, and he could make his competitive debut shortly.
Clarifying the financial and structural nature of the agreement, Okuku confirmed that the Finnish giants moved swiftly to secure the player permanently.
”On our part, it is an outright transfer from Triple 44. Because of the nature of the deal and how hurried they were to get him to Finland, he has already missed almost half of their season.”
”The contract is structured with a one-to-two-year base, but the club retains an exclusive option to extend the deal for an additional two years after this season. So, effectively, it functions as a three-year deal,” Okuku concluded.
