4 days ago
Why official announcement of Timothy Akindileni's switch from Aberdeen to QPR took four months
Young defender Timothy Akindileni's transfer from Aberdeen to English club Queens Park Rangers has FINALLY been confirmed four months after The Press and Journal revealed it was happening.
A deal for the 6ft 4in, 17-year-old centre-half was agreed by the clubs late in the January transfer window.
However, an administrative issue on the part of the English Championship outfit – who had not secured the required Fifa clearance via the English FA to sign an under-18s player cross-border – meant the official announcement of the move had to wait until this summer.
Coincidentally, the same administrative issue on the part of Premier League Nottingham Forest also derailed another Dons youngster, Lewis Carrol's, swap to England on January deadline day.
Signed to the Reds' academy after a trial from juvenile club East End Lewis in 2023, left-footer Akindileni was part of the Aberdeen youth side who won last season's Club Academy Scotland (CAS) Under-18s Elite league last year and featured for the Reds in the UEFA Youth League during the recently-concluded season.
'We are, of course, disappointed to be losing Timi as we had high hopes for him', said Dons director of football Steven Gunn.
'We made numerous attempts to convince him to stay with Aberdeen, but similar to the issues faced by so many Scottish clubs in recent years, we are finding it increasingly difficult to hold on to our young players.
'We have negotiated a significant deal with QPR that also provides future protection should Timi continue to develop into the player we hoped he could be.'
Scotland youth international Akindileni told the QPR website he was 'over the moon' with his transfer to Loftus Road.
Akindileni – who moved to London and began training with his new club after the deal was initially agreed during winter window – said: 'There was interest from other clubs, but QPR just stood out for me because the development here for young players is extraordinary.
'You can see it through all the young players coming up to the first team, and that's what really persuaded me to come here.
'The whole point of going into an academy is to work your way up to the first team, because that fuels you to work harder every day.
'Coming down to England is a big step, but I think it's an opportunity you couldn't turn down.
'It's just a great challenge for me and I'm really looking forward to it.'
