Ifedayo Olusegun (white shirt) controls the ball during a practice match. - Photo by PDRM FC
PETALING JAYA: Veteran hotshot Ifedayo Olusegun hopes to be the top gun for his new club Police as he seeks stability after signing for the underdogs last week.
The 33-year-old Super League Golden Boot winner in 2020 and 2021 surprised many when he opted for the Cops, having played for giants like Selangor and Kedah before.
But the Nigerian, who has a Bahraini passport, has learned a tough lesson after being impacted by teams plagued by financial issues in the past.
"Last season, I was with Kedah and the season before, it was Melaka. These two teams were plagued by financial issues. Now, I'm seeking stability," he said.
"Police are one of the teams here who have been stable in terms of finance. They pay players' salaries on time. They also won the Challenge Cup. "No matter how small or big the club is, as a professional, you want your pay on time.
"You want things to be organised. You can be the biggest club in the country but any financial issue can bring the team down.
"But credit to Kedah for nearly finishing second last year despite their financial issues. The players played on like professionals and the coach did his best to keep the team together, but the problems really affected them."
Olusegun will not be short of ammunition as he has Shahrel Fikri Md Fauzi and Bruno Suzuki as his attacking partners in the Police line-up.
"Shahrel used to be my teammate at Selangor and Bruno has been my friend for many years. That will help a lot as we try to form the best combination.''
Besides Olusegun, the other new foreign signings in the Police team are Nigerian winger Prince Aggreh, midfielders Chidi Osuchukwu and Aremu Timothy, and Nigerian centreback Faith Obilor. They have retained Myanmar defender Kyaw Min Oo, Jordanian midfielder Fadi Awad and Japanese-Brazilian striker Suzuki.
