It must be most baffling that in August Ifeanyi Mathew may be without a club as his contract with relegated Norwegian club Lillestrom would have ran out.
And this was after he twice rejected a transfer to Norway’s most successful club Rosenborg BK, just as champions Molde were also keen to sign him last season.
A strange loan stint at Turkish second division club Osmanlispor failed to ignite interest from outside Norway.
What could have led this midfielder, who has been capped at CHAN Eagles, U20 and U17 levels, to now be at the crossroads of a once promising career at only 23?
SCORENigeria specially gathered that in early 2019, Rosenborg put on the table a transfer fee of 1.2 million Euros as well as a signing-on fee of 300,000 Euros for Mathew to agree a three-year contract.
It was a firm offer pending a successful routine medical.
Mathew sensationally turned down the chance, insisting that he would prefer a move away from Norway.
Last summer, the player himself asked for the transfer to Rosenborg to be revived.
Thankfully, the 26-time Norwegian champions were still interested to sign him, but again at the last minute, he chose not to move.
Since then the fortunes of the former Kano Pillars and El Kanemi Warriors star have taken big body blows as Lillestrom were relegated to the lower league and his own high standards also dropped.
Mathew himself has admitted he may now have to settle for a contract extension at Lillestrom.
But it is left to be seen whether Lillestrom, whose finances will suffer on account of their relegation, will be disposed to this especially as the former Flying Eagles star is one of their highest earners.
The uncertainties surrounding the player’s future have been further compounded by the Coronavirus Pandemic, which has put on hold the new season in Norway that would have afforded him a chance to play his way to a new club.
It was further understood that there was an interest from the Major League Soccer (MLS), but otherwise no offer is on the table now.
