Super Eagles’ defender, Leon Aderemi Balogun has sent a message of thanks to his last two clubs, Brighton and Wigan Athletic of England, following his quickfire transfer to Glasgow Rangers of Scotland, less than 24 hours after he formally announced his departure from The Latics, where he played on loan since the start of this year.
Rangers’ coach, Steven Gerrard said he did not hesitate in handing the defender a year’s deal and hinted that Balogun will slot straight into his line-up at Ibrox; where The Gers’ boss decided to move for extra cover at the back after losing Nikola Katic to a serious knee injury earlier this month and he believes his new signing will provide the solution to his defensive concerns.
Megasportsarena.com gathered that the deal comes at a point many observers felt Balogun would spend some time hunting round for a new club before getting the direction he would head to for next season, but the back-to-form stopper got an immediate alternative to the short term spell he had with Wigan, where he played in the second half of this season on a short-term contract.
Although Balogun only sealed a full transfer to Wigan after the restart of action, following the forced break caused by coronavirus, before which he had been playing in the lower division on loan with the club from English Premier League side, Brighton & Hove Albion, he had to move due to their relegation from the Championship.
As he now turns his attention on excelling in Scotland, Balogun expressed his appreciation to both clubs for helping him achieve his dream of playing in England, even at the advanced age of 32, such that the Germany-born stopper admits he owes a lot to The Seagulls for taking him up after his contract came to an end at SV Mainz of Germany and to The Latics for according him game time when he found it hard to get at Brighton.
However, after reaching the end of his short-term contract at DW Stadium, Balogun has sent an emotional farewell message to Wigan and Brighton; as new chapter is bound to open for the mulatto star, who spent the early part of his career in Germany, playing for Turkiyemspor Berlin, Hannover 96, Werder Bremen, Fortuna Dusseldorf and Darmstadt 98.
It was with Mainz, his last club in the German Bundesliga, that Balogun played 52 league games before joining Brighton in 2018, but the injury-prone ace, who has a Nigerian father and German mother, will now hope to settle down fast at his latest port of call, where he will have the pleasure of teaming up with three of his compatriots – Joe Aribo, Sheyi Ojo and Calvin Bassey.
He flaunts a lofty résumé that includes 32 caps for the Eagles, a World Cup appearance at Russia 2018 and membership of the Nigerian squad that finished third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt; while hoping to get a better impact than what he had with Brighton, which he joined in the summer of 2018 on a two-year deal.
Incidentally, Balogun’s loan deal at Wigan had been scheduled to end in June, but the outbreak of coronavirus meant the season was put on hold and only resumed mid-June, sequel to which Wigan handed him a short contract to enable him to complete the season with their team.
During his days with The Latics, Balogun featured in 11 games, but the club were relegated after they were handed a 12-point deduction for a financial crisis that left them in administration, such that he was already bound to leave them before the summer runs along.
Consequently, after playing his last game for the club in a 1-1 draw with Fulham on Wednesday, Balogun took to social media to reveal that he was happy with the time he spent at the team that once had fellow-Nigerian stars Julius Efosa Aghahowa and Victor Moses on their cards.
Balogun posted: “Thank you, Wigan, I salute you. I want to say thank you and goodbye to Paul Cook and his staff, the team and the whole Tics Family It’s been a very short and super intense time and I’m happy to have played my part in it. Regardless, I will always remember this as a very special time in my career, in a very special place with a very special club full of very special people.
“I’ve felt at ‘home’ from the first second of my time with the Seagulls; beating Man United in the Amex, having you guys singing my very own chant, playing at Anfield and of course scoring against Palace in front of you are memories I’ll carry with me forever. Thank you for making my time in your beautiful city a time I will never forget!
“As things have finally come to an end on this strange season I’d like to say thank you Brighton and every soul involved for opening the door for me to Premier League football. I’ve felt at ‘home’ from the first second of my time with the Seagulls. Beating Man Utd in the Amex.”
