Belgian top-flight club Zulte Waregam have announced the acquisition of teenage Gambian sensation Alieu Fadera on a four-year deal.
Fadera, 19, a former Real de Banjul protégé, signed from FK Pohronie of Slovakia, from whom he joined Real de Banjul. Fadera only made his debut in the Slovakian top league last year before going on to play in 26 official matches in which he scored five times and provided as many assists.
The Club further announced that the Gambian is available to Coach Francky Dury with immediate effect as Zulte hopes to finally kick their season going following a slow start that saw them secure just a solitary point from two matches.
“In the beginning there was a lot of interest from different clubs, including Zulte, which I heard a lot of good things about,” the mesmeric Fadera told the Club’s official website upon signing his contract that will keep him at the Regenboogstadion until June 2025. “After a good conversation with the coach and the board of the club, my choice was made quickly.”
The General Manager of Zulte Waregam Football Club Eddy Cordier expressed delight that they have given the Gambian youngster the opportunity to further continue his development.
“With the arrival of Alieu Fadera, we are pleased that we can once again give a talented player the opportunity to develop further at the highest level. This young player can be played anywhere up front and already made a promising impression on a physical and athletic level.”
Reacting to the news, Scorpions Coach Tom Saintfiet who had drafted Fadera into his preliminary squad selections on few occasions – though he never made the final cut- described the teenager as a very talented winger with the ability to score very good goals and provide decent assists as well. He added that even though he was already noticed by many scouts and clubs due to his performances in Slovakia, joining Zulte Waregam is a good step as it would help him to continue his development and prepare for the next big step in his career.
“Alieu Fadera is a young talented winger and a very offensive player who build up his career slowly. I think the move to the Belgian league is always a good move. It’s a step higher and it’s a good league to develop yourself and if he could make it there I think the next step could be to a bigger league,” the Saintfiet, himself a Belgian, told www.gambiaff.org.”
“Zulte Waregam is a club with huge tradition; its not a club that has the ambition to win the league or even play Europa League football but its always a club with an eye for talent and I think it is a very good club for him to develop. Very close to Badamosi so it’ll be also nice to have two Gambians living close to each other.”
