Czech giants Slavia Prague have signed 22-year-old Nigerian striker Muhammad Tijani on a five-year deal from Banik Ostrava.
Tijani scored 11 goals for Banik in the recently concluded campaign helping the team avoid the drop during the relegation playoffs round. Tijani will link up with fellow Nigerian Igho Ogbu who plays as a centre-back for Slavia.
Reacting to the move, the former 36 Lions Academy player says he is excited about the move and is ready to get going on the pitch. He also stated that his dream is to finish as top scorer in the coming season.
“I feel great! I’m glad everything worked out and I can be in Slavia. The motivation was huge, even because of Igoh who called me several times. ‘I took it as a great impulse, I kept working on myself,” Tijani told the club website.
“I’m excited, I like challenges. Transferring to Slavia is exactly the kind of challenge I wanted. I’m looking forward to the European matches, to the fans. I would like to be the top scorer in the league one day.
“I know Igoh from the youth team, he has a special place in my heart. Olayinka was certainly an inspiration not only to me but to other footballers from Nigeria. I would like to be as successful as him one day.”
Also reacting to the signing of the former Nigeria youth player, the Director of Football at Slavia Jiří Bílek said they’ve gotten a gem of a player in Tijani.
“We got a fit, powerful, productive striker. He had a fantastic spring season, but we watched him for a long time. We believe that he will make further progress under our implementation team, he is still only twenty-two years old. He knows Igoh, who will help him acclimatize. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for him that his engagement in Eden goes according to his and our ideas,” Jiří Bílek said.
