Since leaving England and Middlesbrough for Scotland and St. Mirren in 2022, there were people some questioning whether striker Toyosi Olusanya had made the right decision. However, fast-forward coming up to three years, and the player himself couldn’t be more certain that he made the right call, although his future continues to remain up in the air.
Olusanya, 27, a London native, had moved from youth system to youth system and from non-league outfit to non-league outfit until he landed at Middlesbrough via Billericay in 2021. However, a year later, and he was let go to St. Mirren. The forward enjoyed a brief loan stint with Arbroath from January to May of 2023.
This season has very much been Olusanya’s breakout campaign, as he’s been a regular starter for Stephen Robinson’s side. St. Mirren, who look likely to secure their third top-six Scottish Premiership finish in as many years according to their form and football betting online, have deployed Olusanya as one of their two starting strikers.
At the time of writing, Olusanya has only failed to start on three occasions across all competitions, with the club competing in the Premiership, UEFA Conference League qualifiers, FA Cup and League Cup. He’s scored 11 goals in 32 appearances so far and is a major contributor to the success St. Mirren continue to have on the pitch. So, this makes it imperative that the striker’s future is sorted sooner rather than later.
When Olusanya signed for St. Mirren in 2022, he penned a three-year deal, and that deal ends on May 31, 2025. While Robinson is keen to tie one of his star players down, and the club have offered fresh terms, contract extension talks have been shelved for now, further throwing his future into doubt.
The player himself has spoken about the situation. Olusanya said, “…by no means have I made any decisions yet. I just want to put myself in the best position possible come summer and see what happens from there.
He added, “I feel like, as a player, the more you go into contract talks, the more it can derail your focus on the pitch, so we’ve left it at that, and we can reassess when the time is right again.”
So, while this doesn’t suggest that Olusanya will leave the club at the end of his current deal is a foregone conclusion, it’s highly likely he will be looking to see what options he has on the table. This could be seen as a good thing, as it means he will be going all out between now and the end of the season to catch the eye.
Robinson, however, will be hoping that he can convince Oluysanya to stay put. It’s under Robinson’s guidance that the striker is enjoying his most prolific season in professional football, and he’s playing in a team that continues to impress in the Scottish Premiership regardless of their modest budget. The club, Robinson, and the fans will be hoping this swings negotiations in their favour.