Anderlecht fans dream of a new super striker, but at the same time they feel the fear that things could go wrong again. Should the club really turn on the money tap for an uncut diamond that has only just exploded in Sweden and Norway? Jalal Abdullai puts Olivier Renard in his first big gamble of the winter.
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The rough diamond that Renard is willing to pay for
The 20-year-old Ghanaian striker Jasal bab – owned by IF Elfsborgon loan at Molde FK this season – is the latest transfer target of Anderlecht. KRC Genk, FC Midtjylland, FC Copenhagen and English Championship clubs have also put him on the radar. The question is whether Anderlecht should get involved in a transfer battle surrounding an uncut diamond that is anything but finished.
Abdullai was formed at the Ghanaian Inter Allies, the club that has sent a handful of talents to Europe in recent years. In the spring of 2023, he moved to Sweden for a trial period at Elfsborg, where he impressed so quickly that the club took him over permanently in July and immediately offered him a multi-year contract. Initially he was intended for the U19s, but within no time he was training with the first team.
He was then picked up remarkably quickly in the Swedish press. Expressen included him in its list of the 20 hottest teenagers and called him an uncut crowd favorite at Elfsborg, a diamond in the rough that the fans in Borås had already taken to their hearts. In Borås Tidning he said that he wants to go to the Premier League one day and sees Elfsborg as an ideal intermediate step: first become dominant in Sweden, then think about a top competition.
From a sporting point of view, his real breakthrough came in 2024. Over two seasons in the Allsvenskan, Abdullai has 34 league games and 7 goals, but that is a bit distorted: in 2023 he was mainly a substitute, in 2024 he became a permanent fixture. That season he clocked up around 1,280 minutes in the league, scoring 5 goals – around 0.35 goals per 90 minutes, which puts him in Elfsborg’s top three in terms of goals per minute of play.
Super striker with poison: that’s how he lives in the sixteen
Abdullai thrives on runs in depth, playing the space between center back and back, and quick finishes in the penalty area. Elfsborg rarely used him as a classic target striker; rather as a deep runner who puts pressure on the high defensive line. At the same time, there is an edge to him. His first goal for Elfsborg, in September 2023 on the field of Halmstad, was immediately a winning goal in the final minute – but he also got red in the same match.
In 2024, a spectacular brace against AIK followed and a bright start against Mjällby, where he scored after just 22 seconds and later poked home a second. On the other hand, there were a few yellow cards for fiery celebrations towards the home or away crowd. Elfsborg fans see a player who lives on emotion, opponents sometimes see a showman who just goes over the line.
Abdullai got a taste of European football early on. In the preliminary rounds of the Europa League he scored against Pafos and Rijeka, and against Sheriff Tiraspol he was accurate after just 51 seconds in a match that ultimately sent Elfsborg to the next round.
Molde is chasing: how Abdullai’s price goes off the rails
The next step came in March 2025: Elfsborg loaned Abdullai to Molde FK, including a purchase option for the Norwegians. To him it felt like a promotion. From a sporting perspective, that move turned out great. Abdullai quickly found himself in the starting line-up and in the hearts of the fans: 9 goals and 1 assist in 24 official matches, eventually becoming Molde’s club top scorer in 2025. In the Elite Serien alone he was good for 4 goals, the rest came in the cup and the Conference League preliminaries.
In Norway, analysts saw a striker who fits perfectly into a team that puts pressure: he works a lot without the ball, sprints into the corners, attacks at the first post and can play both centrally and on the wing. Elfsborg extended his contract until 2028 in September 2024. The club proudly stated that their 19-year-old striker is in the right place to develop further and that he repaid his trust with 7 goals in 22 matches. So Elfsborg did not give up on him; they sent him on an internship at Molde to return with even more playing minutes.
Still, after his strong season in Norway, the Swedes now seem open to a sale, provided the price is right. Several foreign clubs are interested, with Midtjylland, Copenhagen, Genk and Anderlecht, plus English second division sides Middlesbrough and Preston. Molde itself has a purchase option and would actually like to keep it.
