Former Nigeria youth international Adebayo Adeleye is getting set to fly to Poland with his Israeli club for pre-season.
Hapoel Jerusalem goalkeeper Adebayo Adeleye will in the coming days embark on a pre-season tour of Poland and Lithuania with his Israeli club.
The tour, which is expected to serve as part of the club’s preparation for the coming season, will offer coach Ziv Arie the opportunity to see his players closely and perfect strategies that will help the club punch above its weight as it prepares for life in the Israeli topflight.
Adeleye, a former Nigeria youth international, told The Guardian that Hapoel Jerusalem will play a series of warmup matches with some top Polish clubs before proceeding to Lithuania for the next stage of pre-season.
“We shall be embarking on a pre-season tour of Poland and Lithuania where a series of top-grade matches will be played,” he said in a telephone chat.
The 21-year-old was a delight to watch between the sticks last season as he played a huge role in Hapoel Jerusalem’s promotion to the elite division. The former Golden Eaglets goalkeeper remains the toast of Hapoel fans after he recorded 19 clean sheets from 32 games last season.
Adeleye, who conceded just 17 goals throughout the season, has also indicated his readiness to fight for a shirt in the Super Eagles when the opportunity presents itself.
Sparta Rotterdam’s Maduka Okoye currently occupies the top spot in the pecking order of goalkeepers in the senior national team, and Adeleye, when he does get a Super Eagles call-up, will be expected to give Gernot Rohr and his coaching assistants a selection headache.