Gbemi Arubi, who was on trial at Lincoln City last month as first reported by the Stacey West, has signed for Irish Premier Division side Waterford FC, according to an announcement on their official website.
The centre-forward has spent the last four seasons at Shelbourne, moving up from the Under 15s to the Under 19s, before breaking into the first team last season, making eight substitute appearances in the top flight.
The 19-year-old, who has also earned caps in the Ireland international youth setup, has decided to stay in Ireland, choosing to sign for newly promoted side Waterford.
The Blues secured promotion following a lengthy playoff campaign, that saw them defeat Athlone Town over two legs, before defeating Cobh Rambles in the final. However, the Irish system is not so easy, as the side who win the second tier playoffs then have to defeat the ninth place side in the top flight to earn promotion.
That match saw Waterford take on Cork City, and after 120 minutes of action, the Blues were victorious.
Arubi was on trial at the Imps last month, featuring, and scoring, in their Lincolnshire Senior Cup victory against Boston United. However, due to the striker’s and other trialists involvement in the match, Lincoln were expelled from the competition.
Although Michael Skubala’s side need to add to their striking options this window, the youngster would likely have been a signing for the future rather than the second half of this season.
Lincoln will be hoping to get back to winning ways after a December that saw no victories when they travel to Wycombe Wanderers next Saturday.
Writer’s View
The Imps certainly need more firepower in attack but Arubi would not have been the short term fix. He does however fit their model well. The club’s recruitment strategy has heavily focused on bringing in young players and developing them into first team stars.
Ireland has also been a happy hunting ground, with players like Dylan Duffy and Jack Moylan already making the move over to Lincolnshire, therefore, they may have been disappointed to miss out on his signature.
