Pompey announced the arrival of Josh Oluwayemi this morning, with the goalkeeper joining on a free following his release from Tottenham Hotspur. But who exactly is he?
Oluwayemi, 21, joined the Spurs academy aged 9 and went on to make 62 appearances at various youth levels. He also had a short loan spell with Maidenhead United, though only made 1 appearance for them.
Oluwayemi also received an International Call Up in July 2021, though only managed to make the bench for Nigeria’s loss to Mexico.
According to the blog, SuperHotspur:
“Oluwayemi is a goalkeeper with great reflexes, and someone who commands his penalty area really well, in addition to constantly providing encouragement to his defence. Also, Joshua’s distribution and composure on the ball has always been good, and he is also good at rushing out of his box to clear the ball.” – Super Hotspur
It’s clear to see why Cowley was keen on the youngster, particularly given Oluwayemi’s distribution. It’s no secret that the manager wants a goalkeeper capable of having the ball at his feet, as we saw with Gavin Bazunu.
It does, however, seem that Oluwayemi’s arrival will spell the end for Alex Bass. In Cowley’s interview regarding Josh’s arrival, the manager spoke about our goalkeeping options and failed to mention Alex Bass at all:
“We’ve got Josh Griffiths and young Toby Steward, and he’s another player who our goalkeeping coach Joe Prodomo is looking forward to working with and helping to develop.” – Danny Cowley
Regardless, Oluwaymi is another signing that fits the supposed recruitment strategy once outlined by Cullen. A young player that can develop at Portsmouth and hopefully be sold at a profit eventually. The young goalkeeper has signed a 12-month contract with the Blues with an option to extend for a further year.
Welcome to PO4, Josh!
