Olagunju checks in from Chelsea

The highly-rated youngster will initially join Richard Walker’s under-18s group at Compton Park.

Olagunju, 17, signed for Chelsea from Charlton Athletic as an under-12 and went on to have success with the Blues, lifting the U17 Premier League Cup last season at the expense of Wolves.

In their 3-1 victory at Molineux, Olagunju played the full 90 minutes for Chelsea, capping off a successful season which also saw him appear 13 times in a U18 Premier League title-winning campaign.

Now moving into his second year as a scholar with Wolves, Olagunju has also received his first England youth call-up, earning a place in the latest U18 squad alongside Mateus Mane.

Head of international youth recruitment, Harry Hooman, said: “Saheed’s someone we’ve admired from afar and for a long time while he’s been at Chelsea. If ever there was an opportunity to do something then we were going to look to move and that opportunity came available, so we moved quickly and we’re excited to get him in the building.

“He’s a very tall and athletic left-sided defender, but he’s also comfortable with the ball. Defensively, he likes to be on the front foot and playing high up the pitch – he’s comfortable defending on that high line and has that athleticism to defend the space in behind. He’s still very much growing into his frame and developing physically, which is exciting because he’s nowhere near finished in terms of what he could become. There’s lots of potential there and a high ceiling in terms of his long-term potential.

“We were really impressed with his attitude and intelligence, and it seems like he’s come from a really good family with good people around him. This will hopefully help him settle in and then kick on over the next couple of years.”

And Hooman has referenced the U17 PL Cup final back in April as a night which further cemented the club’s desire to bring Olagunju to Molineux and further develop a talent who he believes has a high ceiling.

“I thought he was excellent that night, in the final,” Hooman continued. “We watched his games all the way through that under-17 cup run and we thought he was really impressive throughout the run. He played against us at Molineux and impressed on the night, hardly put a foot wrong and went on to win the game.

“We’ve been watching him for a good few years now and liked him at under-16, but he got offered a scholarship at Chelsea.

“He’s a second-year scholar so naturally he’ll be across groups in terms of 18s and 21s. Initially, the plan is for him to come into the 18s group and allow him to settle in. There’s no rush with him and we really like his potential. He has a high ceiling but we recognise that he still has time to develop into that big frame of his and I’m sure he’s got the right attitude to keep improving to push towards the 21s as the season goes on.”