Peter Olayinka is one of the main characters of Slavia Prague. In four years in red and white, he developed into a leader and key player. He seemed almost certain to leave in the summer, as evidenced by the favoritism of Ewerton in the opening games. But everything is different in the end.
The Nigerian footballer came to Eden in the summer of 2018 from Ghent, Belgium. He had to acclimatize from the start and was not always in the starting line-up, but in the second year he started to fully assert himself.
He drew a lot of attention in the Champions League, putting on a great performance at the San Siro and scoring Inter Milan’s goal that was the winner until the 93rd minute.
Then came the “invincible” season, when Slavia did not know defeat in the domestic league for the whole year. And the attacking trio of Olayinka – Kuchta – Sima had a lot to do with it.
He became a leader last season and often wore the captain’s armband. But his performances on the pitch were no longer the real thing, he often lacked lightness, it seemed as if he had already lost his motivation in Slavia.
That’s why almost everyone was counting on a summer departure. After all, the club’s management also announced it, Turkey was the most inclined. But the preparation started and Olayink’s departure still did not happen. However, the coaches continued to state in interviews that the transfer of the Nigerian was in question.
That is also why Ewerton, a fresh reinforcement of the stitched team, was given priority on the left wing in the preparation. The technical Brazilian also started against St.Joseph’s and Hradec Králové, when Trpišovský fielded the strongest line-up. Olayinka did not start for a minute in Gibraltar, he played 65 minutes in the home rematch, when Trpišovský was rotating the entire lineup. And he scored two goals. But he wasn’t even on the bench in Hradec.
However, Slavia did not manage to start the league with the new attacking trio of Ewerton – Jurečka – Usor, they did not create practically a single chance for the entire match, so Trpišovský returned to his roots for the duel with Panathinaikos.
He sent the tried-and-tested trio from last season in the composition of Olayinka – Lingr – Schranz into the attack and it was immediately noticeable. Not only in terms of performance, the 26-year-old Nigerian has certain leadership skills with which he has a good influence on the whole team.
With his tireless work, he is extremely beneficial to the team, he can sprint into attack and defense for 90 minutes and thus help the left back. An extremely important player for the coach.
And so it’s no wonder that Slavia is trying to get him to stay in the end. Coach Trpišovský disclosed his situation at the post-match press conference.
“I hope that Peter Olayinka will not leave Slavia, he has an offer to extend his contract. There is no way he should leave. Today he gave a comprehensive performance, his approach is exemplary, he and Ibra were the mental drivers of the team,„ the coach of Slavia praised his long-time ward.
If he stayed that way, the competition in Slavia’s attack would be really huge, since Olayinka’s departure was almost expected.
Source: SK Slavia Prague
