Introducing Dapo

Oladapo Afolayan known as ‘Dapo’ as he likes to be known joined West Ham from non-league club Solihull Moors on transfer deadline day in January 2018 for a nominal fee on a three-and-a-half-year contract. The Harrow-born striker attended Chelsea’s Academy as a youngster after turning down Arsenal, he spent six years at Chelsea alongside the likes of Tammy Abraham and Dominic Solanke, before, as a 15-year-old, his family moved to Canada, where he continued his footballing education with Toronto FC, featuring for their reserve team.

On returning to England at the age of 18, Afolayan began studying for a civil engineering degree at Loughborough University before being snapped up by National League club Solihull in 2017, for whom he scored 16 goals in 38 matches. Afolayan also spent time as one of 42 non-league players at the Jamie Vardy V9 Football Academy in Manchester.

The powerful forward made his Hammers debut in a 1-0 Premier League 2 Division 1 defeat at home to Sunderland in February 2018, Afolayan appeared in West Ham United’s opening four Premier League 2 Division 1 fixtures of the season, scoring his first goal against Manchester City in August 2018.

In January 2019, he joined EFL League Two club Oldham Athletic on loan until the end of the 2018/19 season, making his EFL debut and nine further appearances in League Two, before enjoying a similar six-month spell at Mansfield at the start of 2019/20, scoring one goal in six league games.

Afolayan returned to West Ham United in January 2020 and completed their unbeaten Premier League 2 Division 2 season with five goals in nine games to his name, including an impressive brace in the Hammers’ first-ever Premier League International Cup quarter-final: a 3-3 draw at Derby County, eventually won 6-5 on penalty kicks.

The boyhood Arsenal fan describes his idols as Thierry Henry and Freddie Ljungberg were when he was younger. He grew up in North London and dyed his hair red for his seventh birthday.

Last night 23-yar-old  ‘Dapo’ made his senior debut for West Ham, appearing as a substitute and scoring in a 4–0 FA Cup win against Doncaster Rovers.