Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba: Meet Aston Villa’s latest debutant with Nigerian roots

Nigeria-eligible teenage English midfielder, Jamaldeen Ayomide Olasunkanmi Jimoh-Aloba, came off the bench in the 90th minute to make his Aston Villa debut yesterday, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 17-year-old versatile midfielder replaced the scorer of Villa’s opening goal, Emiliano Buendia, as Unai Emery’s side secured a 2-1 win over Wycombe in the third round of the EFL Carabao Cup at Adams Park.

A 55th-minute header from Buendia and an 85th-minute spot kick from Jhon Duran meant Richard Kone’s strike in the fifth minute of additional time was nothing but a consolation strike for Wycombe.

Who is Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba?

Born in England on the 2nd of November, 2006, Jamaldeen is primarily an attacking midfielder who can play across other positions in the centre of the park.

 

The highly-rated teenager started his football career at the West Brom Academy, and his talent saw Villa fend off interest from Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City as they paid a million pounds to secure his services in August 2023. Two months later, he signed his first professional contract with The Villans.

Jimoh-Aloba is of Nigerian descent and is eligible to represent the Super Eagles in the future. However, he has represented England at youth level, from the U-16 to the U-18 team.

He turns out mainly for the club’s U-18 side. He was a regular in Villa’s Premier League 2 campaign last term, scoring nine goals and providing four assists in 18 games.

He’s also featured for Villa in the UEFA Youth League this season and is expected to make more appearances as the season goes on. His first five minutes yesterday, at the age of 17 years and 358 days, made him rank 37th on the list of youngest-ever Aston Villa debutants.