St Mirren Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Owen Oseni from Gateshead FC on a three-and-a-half-year deal subject to clearance.
The Buddies have beaten a number of interested parties to sign the highly-rated forward for an undisclosed fee until summer 2028.
The 21-year-old has had an impressive first half of the season at the Tynesiders, scoring 13 goals in 28 appearances, with five goals in his last four matches.
Owen began his career in Ireland with Waterford FC where he got to know Richard Taylor and Roland Idowu before joining English side Derby County in 2023.
Following a fruitful loan spell at Vanarama National League North Rushall Olympic during the second half of 2023/24, where Owen scored eight goals in 15 appearances, the striker joined National League side Gateshead on a two-year deal in the summer.
Speaking after agreeing his deal, Owen said: "I'm really buzzing to get here.
In terms of where the club is heading and its aspirations, it just aligns with mine. I felt like this was the next part of my development and the next part of my journey, so I'm looking forward to it.
"I spoke to Roland [Idowu] and Richard [Taylor] and they played a part in making my decision to come here. It was a no brainer after they told me. It makes the transition smooth when you see a couple of familiar faces.
"The manager likes my play style and he thinks I can come into the squad and really help the team push on and achieve the goals that we've set. I feel like I can bring a lot of pace up front. I'm direct, I like to get in behind defender and hopefully I can bring goals as well."
Manager Stephen Robinson told stmirren.com: "Owen is someone that we have watched for a while now.
"His profile fits the way we play. He’s a goalscorer, he can run in behind and he’s a project that we feel is similar to Toyosi Olusanya when he came to the club. We will improve him the more he trains with us, and he will become a big asset to the club.
"It was important we got in early. There were numerous clubs after him. I must mention his agent who was fantastic in terms of the money not being the motivator, but the coaching and the chance to progress his career."
Potential
"He's a project player who we've paid a small transfer fee for because we see his potential. We believe will get better with time and coaching and someone we are delighted to have on board," the manager added.
"A lot of time players aren’t coming for money because there are teams that will pay more money than us, but we get the right attitude which Owen has. He wants to learn and he wants to get better.
He's a natural goalscorer, and he's already proven that at the non-league level. Now it's about stepping up to this level, which I'm confident he will do over time."
Looking long-term
"He'll be involved but it’ll likely be from the bench at this moment in time. We’re recruiting with an eye on next season when players are out of contract, but he’ll certainly play a part," the manager continued.
"He’s a natural goalscorer which is maybe something we've been missing. It's now just getting him up to speed of the game here and how we play."
