After just seven months, Olarenwaju Kayode parts ways with Gençlerbirliği

Super Eagles and former Manchester City striker, Olarenwaju Ayobami Kayode, is now without a club after terminating his contract with second-tier Turkish side, Gençlerbirliği, Soccerenet.ng reports.

The 30-year-old forward joined the Turkish club from Shakhtar Donetsk in September last year. The move came as a shock for a player of Olanrewaju's pedigree.

The player revealed the motive behind the move, citing that he had not been enjoying his football as he had struggled for goals on loan at Sivasspor and Umraniyespor.

The move didn't turn out in the best way for the former Girona forward, as he scored just four goals in twenty games for the Ankara Rüzgârı.

Three days ago, the club announced on their official social page that the Nigerian forward opted to terminate his contract after just seven months.

Teşekkürler Olarenwaju Ayobami Kayode

Ailevi sebeplerden dolayı takımdan ayrılma talebinde bulunan Nijeryalı futbolcumuz Olarenwaju Ayobami Kayode ile kulübümüz arasındaki sözleşmenin, karşılıklı anlaşılarak sona erdirilmesi konusunda anlaşmaya varılmıştır.

Olarenwaju Ayobami… pic.twitter.com/Qd1j4mtFWT

— Gençlerbirliği SK (@kirmizikara) March 16, 2024

“An agreement has been reached to terminate the contract between our club and our Nigerian football player Olarenwaju Ayobami Kayode, who requested to leave the team due to family reasons. We would like to thank Olarenwaju Ayobami Kayode for his efforts and services to our club and wish him success in his future career,” the post read.

Olanrewaju Kayode started his career with Ivory Coast outlet, ASEC Mimosas, spending time on loan in Nigeria with Heartland.

A loan move abroad with Maccabi Netanya was the turning point in his career as he scored 24 goals in 63 games, earning him a move to Austria Wien.

37 goals in 85 games in Austria saw Pep Guardiola's Manchester City swoop him for €4m, sending him out on loan to Girona immediately. His goals dipped and since then it has been a struggle for him.

Kayode came off the bench to make his Super Eagles debut in Nigeria's International friendly against Senegal in 2017. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.