Ex Rangers wonderkid selects bizarre shirt number at new SPFL club - four years after Ibrox exit
The former Ibrox youth product has been training with another club to maintain his fitness
A former Rangers wonderkid has returned to Scottish football after agreeing a short-term deal with Championship side Arbroath - despite training with another club in the same division.
Four years after quitting Ibrox, Dapo Mebude has embarked on a nomadic career which led him to turn out for clubs in England, Belgium and Bulgaria.
A produce of the Ibrox youth system, Mebude joined Rangers as a ten-year-old and was tipped for stardom. He made his first-team debut in a 2-1 defeat away at Kilmarnock in May 2019, but never fulfilled his full potential while in Govan.
A loan spell at Queen of the South in which he bagged two goals in 11 league appearances failed to impress Gers staff and the young attacking prospect subsequently failed to make the leap to become a full-fledged senior player.
Mebude ran down his contract with the Light Blues before joining Watford in 2021, where again he struggled for regular minutes. After a season spent on loan at AFC Wimbledon he moved to KV Oostende in the Belgian Pro League.
A two-year spell followed before electing to head back to Scotland after a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to his involvement in a serious car accident that threatened to curtail his playing career.
Mebude was invited to train with Livingston by manager David Martindale and featured in a couple of pre-season friendlies last summer, but failed to win himself a contract and instead ended up at second-tier Dunfermline.
He made 14 league appearances for the Pars but was bizarrely loaned out to Bulgarian outfit Septemvri Sofia for the second half of the campaign and then wasn’t offered a new deal at East End Park.
The 24-year-old had been training with Greenock Morton to maintain his fitness levels but has now put pen to paper with league rivals Arbroath.
The Angus club confirmed over the weekend that Mebude had agreed a contract until January. He watched his new team mates in action from the stands as the Red Lichties’ ended St Johnstone’s unbeaten start to the season.
A statement read: “Welcome Dapo! Arbroath FC are delighted to announce the signing of striker Dapo Mebude, on a deal until January, subject to SFA approval. Welcome to Gayfield, Dapo! He will wear the number 62 jersey.”