Find out more about Huddersfield Town up and coming youngsters
- Latest #YoungTerriers in focus series
- Town shines the spotlight on the Club’s Academy talent
- Today we look at Under-19s defender Mustapha Olagunju
With the coronavirus putting paid to Town’s fixture list until 30 April at the least, we’ve decided to throw the spotlight on some of the up and coming Young Terriers in the Academy!
Today we take a closer look at central defender Mustapha Olagunju, who is part of the Academy’s Under-19 group.
Standing at 6’ 2” tall, ‘Muz’ is a relative newcomer to a professional football environment.
Born on New Year’s Day 2002, Mustapha hails from Plumstead in London – the same area that former player Malvin Kamara hailed from.
He played his junior football for Kent United and XYZ Academy; the latter is a privately run Academy for footballers in London who want to pursue a potential career in professional football.
XYZ Academy visited Huddersfield for a friendly with a Town Academy side at Canalside Sports Complex, with a group that included Mustapha and current Town teammates Micah Obiero and Jordan Thomas, now of Norwich City.
At that point Mustapha was playing as an attacking midfielder and he caught the eye, but he was an Under-15 player at the time.
Interestingly, Mustapha must have enjoyed his Town experience too. When Town’s Academy side played games in London, he was there to watch!
He was subsequently invited for a trial with Town as an Under-16 player, featuring in a game against Barnsley. It was during this game that Academy Manager Leigh Bromby saw his potential as a central defender.
He penned his two-year scholarship with the Terriers in July 2018 and went on to start 31 games for the Under-17 side during his debut 2018/19 campaign. He also made an impressive 12 appearances for the Under-19s and EDT as he turned 17.
Having impressed the coaches, Olagunju was offered his first ever professional contract, which he signed in August 2019. That secured his future to the Club until the summer of 2021 at least, with Town having the option to extend it by a further season.
Mustapha has made another 26 appearances for the EDT and Under-19 side so far this season, scoring once, whilst also netting three goals in 11 starts as an overage player for the Under-17s.
He also travelled with Danny Cowley’s First Team squad on the week-long training camp in Dubai back in November 2019, after which he got his first taste of men’s football through a short loan spell at Tadcaster Albion.
An aggressive, front-foot defender who is comfortable in possession, Mustapha is a developing player to watch!
You can keep a close eye on the youngsters' development on Twitter via @htafcacademy.
