Linfield are being heavily linked for a move for Valletta forward Kyrian Nwoko.
According to reports coming out of Malta, the Blues have reached agreement on personal terms with the player and an undisclosed transfer fee for the Maltese international.
Times Malta are reporting that the striker is waiting on a work permit then the deal will be completed.
The question is, who is he?
Here is some more info:
Profile
Name : Kyrian Nwoko
Age : 24
Position: Striker
Height: 6’2 (188cm)
Former clubs: St Andrew’s, Valletta FC
International experience
Nwoko has been capped 21 times for Malta’s senior side. He made his debut in 2017. He has scored three times for country.
He did not feature in the friendly against Northern Ireland back in May but has tested himself coming up against the likes of Spain, Sweden, and Norway in the Euro qualifiers.
He appeared 11 times for Malta’s Under-21s, scoring four times
Background
He was born in Malta’s capital city Valletta. His dad, Chucks Nwoko, is a former Malta international footballer.
Kyrian started playing football aged five and he went on to make two appearances for Malta at the 2014 UEFA Under 17 Championship.
After the Championships he was linked with moves to Huddersfield Town and Crystal Palace.
Playing career
Nwoko fired St Andrew’s to promotion to the Maltese Premier League in 2015.
He struggled to find form over the next few seasons for the club scoring nine times over his last two campaigns with St Andrew's.
A move to Valletta in 2019 was the kickstart he needed as helped the team to back-to-back league titles in 2018 and 2019.
He scored 12 times in 75 Premier League games since joining two years ago.
Nwoko, who is keen on securing a move to full-time football, was linked with a transfer to Scunthorpe United, when they were a League One club, in 2019.
It was reported at the time that the versatile forward had scored in a behind closed doors friendly for Scunthorpe, but that both clubs failed to agree terms.
Playing style
Linfield fans can expect him to be a real handful for defenders as he an outright target man. His physical presence would be enough to cause any Irish League defence problems.
One Maltese source described Nwoko as a “proper target man who offers an aerial presence, can hold the ball up and also link up play."
They added: “He is very versatile, can play in a front two, drop deep or play in wide areas."
The Blues are currently in Lithuania preparing for the first leg of a Champions League first qualifying round clash with FK Zalgiris on tonight (Tuesday).
