| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Olujimi James Ayodele Olayinka [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 5 October 2000 [2] | ||
| Place of birth | Lambeth, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) [2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Waterford | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2019 | Arsenal | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2022 | Arsenal | 0 | (0) |
| 2020 | → Northampton Town (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | → Southend United (loan) | 20 | (2) |
| 2022–2024 | Cheltenham Town | 38 | (1) |
| 2025– | Waterford | 23 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14:13, 27 August 2025 (UTC) | |||
Olujimi James Ayodele Olayinka (born 5 October 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for League of Ireland Premier Division club Waterford.
Olayinka began his career with Arsenal. [3] He signed his first professional contract with the club in January 2019. [4]
On 29 August 2020, Olayinka was named an unused substitute in the 2020 FA Community Shield, with Arsenal clinching a 5–4 victory over Liverpool in the penalty shootout after the match finished 1–1 after 90 minutes. [5]
In January 2020, Olayinka moved on loan to League Two side Northampton Town until the end of the season, [6] [7] making his debut in a 3–0 win over Scunthorpe United on 28 January. [8] He helped Northampton Town to secure promotion to League One by winning the play-off final. [9]
In October 2020 he joined Southend United on loan until January 2021. [10] He scored his first goal for the club, and his first professional goal, in an FA Cup tie against Boreham Wood on 7 November 2020. [11] On 1 February 2021, Olayinka extended his loan with Southend United to the end of the 2020–21 season. [12]
He signed a two-year contract with Cheltenham Town on 1 September 2022. [13] On 2 January 2024, manager Darrell Clarke announced that Olayinka had been made available for transfer. [14] He was released by the club at the end of the 2023–24 season. [15]
On 14 November 2024, it was announced that Olayinka would be joining League of Ireland Premier Division club Waterford ahead of their 2025 season. [16]
Olayinka is of Nigerian descent. [17]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup [a] | League Cup [b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Arsenal U21 | 2018–19 [18] | — | — | — | 4 [c] | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||||
| 2019–20 [19] | — | — | — | 2 [c] | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||||
| 2020–21 [20] | — | — | — | 2 [c] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| 2021–22 [21] | — | — | — | 3 [c] | 2 | 3 | 2 | |||||
| 2022–23 [22] | — | — | — | 1 [c] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | — | — | — | 12 | 3 | 12 | 3 | |||||
| Arsenal | 2019–20 [19] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020–21 [20] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 [21] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Northampton Town (loan) | 2019–20 [19] | League Two | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 [d] | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Southend United (loan) | 2020–21 [20] | League Two | 20 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 |
| Cheltenham Town | 2022–23 [22] | League One | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 |
| 2023–24 [23] | League One | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 [c] | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 1 | ||
| Waterford | 2025 [24] | LOI Premier Division | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1 | |
| Career total | 82 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 104 | 8 | ||
Northampton Town
Arsenal