Latest news with #MaxiOyedele
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd to earn 'substantial' windfall for player sold less than 12 months ago
Manchester United's Profit and Sustainability concerns are set to be eased with one of their former academy players expected to be on the move this summer, just a year ater leaving the Red Devils Manchester United are set to earn a substantial transfer windfall thanks to former star Maxi Oyedele. The United academy graduate left the Red Devils a year ago for Legia Warsaw, having never played a senior game at Old Trafford. But he has starred in Poland, making 24 appearances in all competitions as Legia won the Polish Cup. That was their first major trophy since 2023, with Oyedele playing all 90 minutes of the final. Though he only joined last summer and has two years to run on his contract, the midfielder is attracting strong interest. Werder Bremen, PSV Eindhoven, Anderlecht, Club Brugge and a number of Championship sides are understood to be monitoring the 20-year-old. There is a release clause in his contract that means he is available for a tick over £5million this summer. There is a growing expectation at Legia that he will be departing the club after just one season. If he does indeed move on, it would bank United a healthy sum, which will go a way towards easing their concerns with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules. The Red Devils are hoping to be busy this summer and any fee received will be greatly appreciated. In a surprise move given he left just 12 months ago, United will benefit substantially from Oyedele's potential transfer. When they sold him last summer, United inserted various clauses into the deal. While they only sold him for a small fee, one of the clauses they inserted was a substantial sell-on clause to ensure future profit. That sell-on clause means that United are entitled to 40 per cent of any fee Legia receive for the midfielder. If he is sold for his release clause, it would see United bank just over £2m. That money would likely go straight into easing their PSR concerns, with a buy-back option also included in the original deal. A departure for Oyedele would come as somewhat of a surprise given his short time in Poland. Speaking in April, the youngster insisted he was happy with life in the capital city. 'It's just funny for my mum because she left Poland to come to England and make a life; I left England to go to Poland to start my journey,' Oyedele told The Guardian. 'Legia was the biggest opportunity. "I don't even think I realised how big of an opportunity it was when I heard about it. I felt like this was the opportunity to play in Europe, the biggest team in Poland. It's my nationality, so it's close to the national team. "It's always a risk to leave it, but it just seemed like the best choice. I couldn't afford to waste another year playing academy football. I could have stayed in England and continued my journey and who knows what would have happened." Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The Guardian
09-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Maxi Oyedele: from Manchester United outcast to ‘dream' tie against Chelsea
Fourteen months ago, Maxi Oyedele was experiencing the lowest moment of a burgeoning career, being substituted after coming off the bench for a team destined for relegation from League Two. Now he is preparing for a European quarter-final with Legia Warsaw against one of the biggest clubs on the continent. Forest Green feels a world away. When any teenager is loaned by Manchester United to a lower-league club, the aim is for them to gain experience that can help them progress. In theory, this is done through positive performances and playing against senior professionals, allowing a youngster to learn the tricks of the trade. Sometimes, however, a setback is the best learning curve. It has helped the midfielder earn full international honours, the Conference League battle with Chelsea in Warsaw on Thursday and a Polish Cup final next month. 'I would put that down as one of my most valuable experiences, going to Forest Green and it not working out the way I wanted it to,' says Oyedele, who returned to United after four substitute appearances in League Two. 'The way I had to come back to the club and be back in the under-21 squad and be training in and out with the first team … that whole period was extremely, extremely tough. Whatever problems I face I know what it's like to be at the lowest point. It's only made me stronger.' A move to eastern Europe may not sound like an obvious move for someone who was brought up in Salford and joined United aged six, but Oyedele has a Polish mother and a Nigerian father. Oyedele regularly visited his mother's homeland as a child, learning the language to interact with his grandmother, and started representing Poland as a teenager. Legia came calling in the summer, offering a homecoming of sorts when it became clear he was not in Erik ten Hag's plans. 'It's just funny for my mum because she left Poland to come to England and make a life; I left England to go to Poland to start my journey,' says Oyedele. 'Legia was the biggest opportunity. I don't even think I realised how big of an opportunity it was when I heard about it. I felt like this was the opportunity to play in Europe, the biggest team in Poland. It's my nationality, so it's close to the national team. It's always a risk to leave it, but it just seemed like the best choice' The deal was completed in late August and within a couple of months Oyedele had ticked off a top-flight, European and full international debut. The central midfielder won two caps for Poland last year against Portugal, where he swapped shirts with his former club captain Bruno Fernandes, and Croatia. 'I always thought I would love to leave and start a new journey abroad,' he says. 'I couldn't afford to waste another year playing academy football. I could have stayed in England and continued my journey and who knows what would have happened. I might have not been anywhere near and now I'm about to play Chelsea.' A cacophony of noise and pyrotechnics will be used at Legia's stadium to create an intimidating atmosphere in the hope of putting Chelsea on the back foot in a tie they are heavy favourites to win. The eclectic nature of the Conference League means Legia, fifth in Poland's top division, have defeated the Welsh Premier league side Caernarfon and Real Betis on their way to this stage. 'I can't even begin to describe the Legia fans,' says Oyedele. 'It's one of the best things I've seen. I go to the stadium and I'm looking around thinking: 'Wow. It's unbelievable. I can't wait to play, in front of these fans. My debut, the fans were crazy. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion 'You just rise, it absolutely lifts you up. And then walking out they had the tifo and I was thinking: 'This is why I play football.' I've never seen anything like it for me' Legia went through three playoff rounds starting in July to reach the Conference League group stage. It has been a circuitous route to a first European quarter-final since a defeat by Panathinaikos in the Champions League 29 years ago. Anticipation has been building since they beat Molde in the last round. 'When I first joined, I watched us in the [Conference] League and thought I would love to play Chelsea,' Oyedele says. 'This was months ago, in August. For us to get to this point, to have the opportunity to play such a big game … it was this dream. This is everybody wanted and when the game finished [against Molde], we had done it. 'Now all that dream stuff is gone – it's reality. We know that it's Chelsea, so it's going to be tough, but it's a case of why not? I bet everybody thought we were going to lose to Real Betis and look what we did then.'
