Crawley Town unveiled Nigerian defender Benjamin Tanimu as their new signing on Monday after fans of the League One club had to wait days for the player to be officially announced.
The Red Devils announced Tanimu as their new signing on September 2, nearly three days after the summer transfer window shut. However, the Nigerian player was linked with a move to Crawley days before the window ended and the deal was set to be completed much earlier.
After Friday’s deadline passed, there was no sign from Crawley that the 22-year-old had arrived, causing plenty of confusion. In addition, some news outlets, including the Nigerian source, Footballlive. ng, revealed that the transfer was due to be completed on August 30. The publication quoted Tanimu’s former club Singida Black Stars saying his transfer was finalised.
“Our club has agreed to Crawley Town FC, a UK club participating in League One, to sell our Nigerian player Benjamin Tanimu.
The agreement includes a direct transfer fee and a 20% sell-on clause, with the total package estimated at no less than $850,000.”
Benjamin Tanimu ✍️
— CTFC Sam (@ctfc_fan) August 30, 2024
Eventually, the League One club officially announced Tanimu as their player almost 60 hours after the official transfer deadline passed. However, the Red Devils did not indicate in their statement as to why the deal was delayed for so long.
“Crawley Town Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Nigerian defender Benjamin Tanimu from Singida Black Stars for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year-old has signed a two-year contract with the club.
Born and raised in the ancient city of Benin, Tanimu’s footballing journey has reached new heights in recent years.
His career began at local football clubs in Benin City, but the highly-rated defender recently caught the eye of the Nigerian national team, who he has represented on several occasions.
The Reds have secured Benjamin’s services from Tanzanian Premier League side Singida Black Stars.
Tanimu will link up with the Red Devils in the coming weeks.”
Writer’s View
There was bewilderment among Crawley fans over Tanimu’s transfer on deadline day. Unsurprisingly, some felt the transfer had fallen through or been cancelled due to the lack of communication on the 22-year-old’s arrival in Sussex.
However, there is relief that the Red Devils’ new man is securely inside Broadfield Stadium to help Scott Lindsey’s side for the 2024/25 campaign. Tanimu is a highly-rated defender. He joins Crawley after making over 50 appearances in the Nigerian Professional League and three starts for the national team in 2024, as recorded by Transfermarkt.
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