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The National
01-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Inside Toyosi Olusanya's St Mirren transfer exit for Houston
In Olusanya's mind, he would be fielding calls from his agent from the beach during a well-deserved break after a transformative few years in Scotland. A holiday to Dubai had already been planned before interest emerged from the MLS. An unexpected transfer approach from Houston Dynamo arrived in the days leading up to the pivotal final Scottish Premiership split match against Ross County, with St Mirren's top-six hopes on the line. Quickly, thoughts of a summer break were parked for Olusanya, and partner Kirsty, as negotiations between St Mirren vice-chairman Jim Gillespie and the Dynamo footballing department began at a rate of noughts with around 10 days to finalise a deal before the MLS trade deadline. The striker featured in the decisive 3-2 win over Ross County with the knowledge it may well have been his last outing for the club. By this point, neither his family, or his team-mates were fully aware of the situation with no guarantee a deal would be finalised. Olusanya, 27, was, understandably, hopeful of making the move Stateside with St Mirren not standing in his way after securing a top six place and negotiating an impressive £200,000 transfer fee for a player out of contract in a number of weeks. Three days later, and with four overweight suitcases in tow, and Olusanya was on his way to Houston via London. Read part two of The Herald's Toyosi Olusanya exclusive on St Mirren memories tomorrow, first in the free David Irvine on St Mirren newsletter "Wednesday of the week before the last game before the split Dynamo came in with an offer," recalls Olusanya after his third training session with his new club. "So obviously I spoke to the board and they said, 'Listen, we'll play out the last game, see how the last game goes and then we'll just take it from there'. "I had hopes that it would have went through, but obviously I wasn't sure. I was wanting to win and regain top six. So we won, we got top six. "In my head, I thought, wow, this might be my last game, but it might not be. So it was a bit of a shame I couldn't say bye to the boys face to face and say bye to the fans and everything. "The next Wednesday, the manager called me and said a bid had been accepted by the club. Within that time, I had to pack up my home, put all my clothes in storage, bring what I could and let my family know. "I didn't want to let my family or Kisty's family know before in case it didn't happen because it was 50-50. "By Wednesday, we were saying goodbye to Kirsty's family and by Friday, I was on a train to London, saw my family and then on Sunday morning, I was on the way to Houston." Read more: Olusanya was not short of options ahead of his contract expiring with approaches from clubs in Scotland, England and Europe before Dynamo entered into the equation. It didn't take much for Peckham-born Olusanya to be convinced of a major switch to the US, though, given a largely unconventional career path to date. "With me, my journey's been unique," he said. "I started in South London, you know, I went up to Middlesbrough, I went up North England, then I went to Scotland. So I was kind of like, I like how my journey's been, like, so unpredictable. "It's not been your usual football career, you know. Houston was, again, a place of new beginnings, new people, a new town, new culture. "I was really open to that. I felt like, you know, I stayed just under three years in Scotland. So I felt like I was getting, not used to, but like I kind of knew it in terms of the people in Scotland. "I just wanted to kind of go somewhere else where I could, you know, push myself and test myself and just learn not just different things about myself as a player, but as a person." Olusanya has not yet made his debut for the new club as he awaits international clearance before taking to the MLS stage in the next few weeks. Smiling as he admitted his summer plans have changed significantly with the MLS season well underway, he added: "Initially, I thought I would be on the beach somewhere and then I'd be on the phone to my agent getting calls, asking to connect to the local Wi-Fi and whatnot. "I thought, obviously, I'd be on the move at some point this summer and I didn't know if I was going to be in Scotland where I'd receive certain interest or down south in England or even in other European countries. "But, obviously, this was off the cuff and it happened and it just felt right, you know. So far, I feel like I've made the right decision definitely."
The Herald Scotland
01-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Inside Toyosi Olusanya's St Mirren transfer exit for Houston
An unexpected transfer approach from Houston Dynamo arrived in the days leading up to the pivotal final Scottish Premiership split match against Ross County, with St Mirren's top-six hopes on the line. Quickly, thoughts of a summer break were parked for Olusanya, and partner Kirsty, as negotiations between St Mirren vice-chairman Jim Gillespie and the Dynamo footballing department began at a rate of noughts with around 10 days to finalise a deal before the MLS trade deadline. The striker featured in the decisive 3-2 win over Ross County with the knowledge it may well have been his last outing for the club. By this point, neither his family, or his team-mates were fully aware of the situation with no guarantee a deal would be finalised. Olusanya, 27, was, understandably, hopeful of making the move Stateside with St Mirren not standing in his way after securing a top six place and negotiating an impressive £200,000 transfer fee for a player out of contract in a number of weeks. Three days later, and with four overweight suitcases in tow, and Olusanya was on his way to Houston via London. Read part two of The Herald's Toyosi Olusanya exclusive on St Mirren memories tomorrow, first in the free David Irvine on St Mirren newsletter "Wednesday of the week before the last game before the split Dynamo came in with an offer," recalls Olusanya after his third training session with his new club. "So obviously I spoke to the board and they said, 'Listen, we'll play out the last game, see how the last game goes and then we'll just take it from there'. "I had hopes that it would have went through, but obviously I wasn't sure. I was wanting to win and regain top six. So we won, we got top six. "In my head, I thought, wow, this might be my last game, but it might not be. So it was a bit of a shame I couldn't say bye to the boys face to face and say bye to the fans and everything. "The next Wednesday, the manager called me and said a bid had been accepted by the club. Within that time, I had to pack up my home, put all my clothes in storage, bring what I could and let my family know. "I didn't want to let my family or Kisty's family know before in case it didn't happen because it was 50-50. "By Wednesday, we were saying goodbye to Kirsty's family and by Friday, I was on a train to London, saw my family and then on Sunday morning, I was on the way to Houston." Read more: Olusanya was not short of options ahead of his contract expiring with approaches from clubs in Scotland, England and Europe before Dynamo entered into the equation. It didn't take much for Peckham-born Olusanya to be convinced of a major switch to the US, though, given a largely unconventional career path to date. "With me, my journey's been unique," he said. "I started in South London, you know, I went up to Middlesbrough, I went up North England, then I went to Scotland. So I was kind of like, I like how my journey's been, like, so unpredictable. "It's not been your usual football career, you know. Houston was, again, a place of new beginnings, new people, a new town, new culture. "I was really open to that. I felt like, you know, I stayed just under three years in Scotland. So I felt like I was getting, not used to, but like I kind of knew it in terms of the people in Scotland. "I just wanted to kind of go somewhere else where I could, you know, push myself and test myself and just learn not just different things about myself as a player, but as a person." Olusanya has not yet made his debut for the new club as he awaits international clearance before taking to the MLS stage in the next few weeks. Smiling as he admitted his summer plans have changed significantly with the MLS season well underway, he added: "Initially, I thought I would be on the beach somewhere and then I'd be on the phone to my agent getting calls, asking to connect to the local Wi-Fi and whatnot. "I thought, obviously, I'd be on the move at some point this summer and I didn't know if I was going to be in Scotland where I'd receive certain interest or down south in England or even in other European countries. "But, obviously, this was off the cuff and it happened and it just felt right, you know. So far, I feel like I've made the right decision definitely."
The Herald Scotland
25-04-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Toyosi Olusanya's ridiculous St Mirren redemption arc
The clock had just struck 4pm in Paisley, with Toyosi Olusanya returning from the dressing room to the bench after a competitive debut for St Mirren watched by less than 2,000 punters. The score was locked at 0-0 against a stubborn Arborath side who would go on to claim victory in the final minute of the first Viaplay Cup group stage tie. It wasn't a glittering display for the summer signing, who had been labelled "strong and lightning quick" after being unveiled by Stephen Robinson, having penned a two-year deal to join from Middlesbrough. To put it lightly, it was a display more comparable to that of a competition winner than continental scoring for Olusanya. It was sluggish and untidy; there was no lack of effort, but the striker wasn't playing to his unquestionable strengths. What would follow would be bit-part roles in the cup competition before a broken toe prevented Olusanya from having any impact in the league, limited to just 12 minutes against Hearts before being shipped out on loan in January. It wouldn't be too extreme to suggest that for some supporters, Olusanya's St Mirren spell was already over and doomed to be released after his two-year deal expired. How wrong that prediction would prove to be... Olusanya scored once for Arborath in nine Scottish Championship outings for the club. It was an improvement on his limited impact in Paisley, but was hardly indicative of the events which would unfold the following season. Returning to St Mirren over the summer, Olusanya's career at the club was on the line. A frank discussion with Robinson laid out the state of play with the striker staring down the barrel of a release unless he made his mark at the SMiSA Stadium. Olusanya has never been a difficult professional and has spoken openly of Robinson being almost a father figure to him in reigniting his career. To his credit, Olusanya buckled down, listened to the advice of the coaching staff and completely transformed his footballing life, and in doing so his prospects in the years to come. The striker put in extra effort off the pitch in the gym, committed to pool work and made a conscious effort to ensure his nutrition and hydration were in a prime state to aid performance levels. "I would say definitely, since coming here, it has been transformative for me," said Olusanya. "I've seen how some of the boys are a good example of how I'm supposed to take the gym, how I'm supposed to take recovery. But when I came here, I'd probably say I was a bit like, I'll do it but not as well as I can. "I feel like that year when I was 18 and I was at AFC Wimbledon, I probably thought I was the man, if you know what I mean." Extra efforts did not go unnoticed by Robinson, but by no means was Olusanya the first-choice starter as a result. The Peckham-born frontman would again be more often called upon as a substitute in the League Cup group stage, netting against Cowdenbeath and providing an assist in a win over Arbroath. Olusanya had undone any damage from a difficult first season but still had his doubters as he claimed a secondary role in the side. In one moment, though, that changed. Easter Road, minutes before putting in runs as part of the sub warm-up and Olusanya feared the worst as a red-faced Robinson yelled to him from the sideline. Read more: "Gaffer was screaming, his face went red and he gave me the finger," recalled Olusanya of discovering he would play the opening Scottish Premiership fixture against Hibernian in the 2023/24 season. "He told me, 'You're starting get your stuff on, Mika is injured. "You don't have time to process it and get nerves or be excited, it's just a then and there thing. "I didn't think about anything, I was just calm and that probably helped me." That moment was crucial and possibly even the true turning point for Olusanya. He didn't overthink, he didn't try too hard to his detriment, he just played his game the way Robinson knew he could. With 17 minutes on the clock, Olusanya was on the scoresheet in the 3-2 win and looked a completely different prospect to the striker watched in black and white in the previous season. Quickly, Olusanya developed a reputation as a striker no centre-back wanted to face in the league. He was confident, he was clever in his movement, and he was fiercely committed. The goals weren't quite free-flowing yet, with his next league strike not arriving until February against Dundee. However, the power of work pressing defences and crafting opportunities out of nothing didn't go unnoticed. Perhaps his most iconic moment in the stripes, a category pretty heavily contested, came when Aberdeen rolled into town on March 2, 2024. A first-minute strike from Connor Barron threatened a difficult afternoon but the ridiculous stoppage-time heroics from St Mirren created one of the most unforgettable moments in the SMiSA Stadium. Mark O'Hara grabbed a point as he converted from the penalty spot in the 96th minute, and Olusanya won that spot-kick by the way. Then, pandemonium, chaos, utter jubilation. A swift counter led to a cross into the box for the ball to be headed to Olusanya to turn home with 97 minutes played. No better justice can be done to describe that moment than to quote an all-time great piece of Misery Hunters commentary. "There is still time left on the dancefloor here before last orders, neither side willing to let this one fade away..." Seconds later, "It's Toyosi Time! The whole team are on the pitch to celebrate". Toyosi Time is finally up on the dancefloor, last orders have been and gone. Thanks for this @t__olusanya and all the rest. — Misery Hunters (@MiseryHunters) April 23, 2025 Talk about making yourself a club hero and completing one of the most unimaginable redemption journeys at a football club. Two years prior, I had been storing Olusanya's name in my mind palace as a pub quiz answer for the future, I certainly didn't anticipate having to explain how to pronounce it to a confused Icelandic stadium announcer. "You know, lasagne?" I said, despairing at the situation as a Valur employee scribbled phonetic instructions on a team sheet. "It's kind of like that with an 'O' in front of it." Few players were as deserving as Olusanya as he netted against Valur back in Paisley in a triumphant return to European football. Then, another magical moment courtesy of Toyosi Time. SK Brann had, in all truth, played St Mirren off the park in Paisley but wouldn't take a lead back to Bergen. A James Scott volley across goal was tapped home by the sliding Olusanya in the centre of the box. Cue incredible scenes and another unforgettable moment. It has been a theme of Olusanya's time at St Mirren that he provided much more than the bare minimum of hard work; he created legitimate lifelong memories for supporters, young and old. To that end, I'm still deliberating on how best to break the news to my nephew that he's left the club for a move to Houston Dynamo. Last orders may have come and gone, and it may well be time up on the dancefloor, but you can guarantee a few more drinks will be raised in honour of Toyosi Time in the years to come.
