Al-Bukiryah FC have completed the signing of Nigerian centre-forward Aremu Semiu Owolabi on a free transfer from the status of being without a club, adding a young attacking option to their squad in the Saudi First Division League. The 20-year-old arrives without a transfer fee and joins the Saudi side as a confirmed new signing, moving into professional football abroad after a spell at youth level in Israel.
Owolabi has been registered as an Al-Bukiryah player from 2026-02-07, with his contract at the club currently recorded to run until an unspecified future date, as no expiry has been listed. The move ends his period as a free agent following his departure from Hapoel Rishon leZion U19, where he left to become unattached earlier in the 2025–26 cycle.
The striker, born on 01 Jan 2006 in Kwara, Nigeria, is listed at 1.80m and operates primarily as a centre-forward. He is joining a club competing in the Saudi First Division League, meaning his next competitive minutes are set to come in Saudi Arabia rather than in his home country. The transfer was completed without a disclosed fee and with no official market value listed for the player in the latest data, underlining that Al-Bukiryah are taking a low-risk punt on a young, developing attacker.
Before signing for the Saudi club, Owolabi’s last registered side was Hapoel Rishon leZion U19 in Israel, where he played at youth level before becoming without a club. That earlier move already took him away from Nigerian football and into a foreign system, giving him experience of adapting to a new footballing culture and environment, even if only at under-19 level. His subsequent spell unattached has now concluded with this confirmed move back into a structured club setup.
There is no record yet of appearances, goals, assists or recent match performances for Al-Bukiryah, and no detailed statistics from his time in Israel are provided in the available data. Likewise, there is no indication that he has yet featured for the Nigerian national team at senior level, though he is listed with Nigerian nationality and as an attacking player by trade.
The switch from being without a club to joining Al-Bukiryah represents an important step in Owolabi’s early career. At 20, and with previous experience at Hapoel Rishon leZion U19 followed by a period as a free agent, he now has the platform of a professional club in the Saudi First Division League to develop his game, establish a reputation, and potentially use this move as a springboard either to higher levels in Saudi Arabia or to further opportunities elsewhere.
