Brentford of England’s Nigerian-born right-full-back, Michael Olabode Kayode has been identified as a role model and inspiration for AS Roma of Italy’s new signing, Antonio Arena, Sports247 reports.
The comparison of Arena with Kayode comes from the agent of both young players, Guieseppe Presce, who said he is happy with progress being made by his recent discoveries.
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Though the 21-year-old Kayode is still a youth international for Italy, Presce believes the Nigerian-born lad has already shown the stuff that great worldwide defenders are made of.
The agent then went ahead to name Kayode as the one Arena is taking after, in terms of his early impact; adding that he has confidence in the youngster’s ability to make it big in his career.
His verdict comes after Arena showed signs of great things to come with a sterling display in his debut for Roma earlier this week, as the 16-year-old striker scored for his new team in Coppa Italia.
Though the Rome-based side lost the match to AS Torino, Pesce was happy that Arena had a personal standout performance and likened the youngster to Kayode, who the agent moved from Fiorentina of Italy to Brentford a year ago.
A highly excited Pesce told TMW: “There’s a lot of work to do, but his emotional intelligence and humility give us hope.
“He reminds me of Kayode in terms of his dedication and mentality; someone with the mindset to become a top-level footballer. He’s mature for his age.”
