The Rise and Rise of Elicha Ahui

April 11, 2023 Gary Lincoln City 0

Credit Graham Burrell

At 16, Elicha Ahui was released by Nottingham Forest. He wasn’t offered a scholarship with any professional club, and his dream of making it seemed to be fading.

This weekend, he netted the only goal for the game as Drogheda beat Derry City 1-0 to move up to fourth in the League of Ireland. His stock is rising, fast, and along with Freddie Draper he is impressing in his current role. Drogheda was a great base for Sean Roughan to kick on and impact the first team, and it seems Ahui is getting the same benefit from the Drogs.

How did he come in from the cold, shrug off the disappointment of his Forest rejection, and establish himself as the latest exciting talent to roll off the production line? He joined the Imps shadow scholar programme, designed to offer those players a chance to train and play football to a good standard, whilst also getting a college education. He impressed enough to train with the full scholars, then the first team, before having a loan spell with Gainsborough Trinity. That led to a first professional deal, and a debut against Newcastle United Under 21s in the EFL Trophy this season.

He was excellent in that game, getting Man of the Match to come from nowhere to the attention of Imps supporters. Chances in the first team are, understandably, few and far between, but like Sam Long and Sean Roughan before them, Ahui and Freddie headed off to Ireland hoping to make an impression. It’s fair to say, the 19-year-old has done just that. Drogheda are not traditionally one of Ireland’s powerhouse teams – they’ve won the title once, in 2007, but were only promoted back to the top flight in 2020. At the time of writing, Easter Sunday, they’re currently above Shamrock Rovers and look in good shape after eight matches.

One constant in those eight matches has been Ahui. His goal this weekend drew attention and rightly so. He showed great awareness to arrive in the box late to tap in for the win, but his all-around game has been consistent since he arrived on the Emerald Isle. Indeed, both him and Draper were recently labelled ‘unbelievable signings’, outlining the potential both have. This spell could be exactly what the young players need, especially given how Sean has impacted the first team since being back.

What is it about him that’s impressed? His tackling has certainly caught the eye, and he’s successful with more of his defensive duels than most – he wins 70.9% of his duels. He’s averaging 4.2 interceptions per game, and seeing an average of 3.16 dribbles per game. They’re the sort of stats you hope to see from an attacking right back, a position we’ll need to fill next season. He’s playing right back in a flat back four for the Drogs, but still attempting 1.16 crosses per game, with a 50% accuracy.

Here’s the thing – he ops the whole League of Ireland for total defensive duels and is third in duels per 90 minutes. He’s not just standing out for his loan club, but across the whole division. He came to us a boy but was termed a late developer when he signed his first pro deal, and is seemingly making up for lost time over the Irish Sea. Elicha Ahui is turning into a man in Ireland, but could he be the man to fill Regan Poole’s boots next season?

Whilst this is a piece on Ahui, it’s also worth noting that Draper might not be getting the goals one expected in Ireland, but he is having a successful spell. He’s second in the whole division for aerial duels contested and second in the division for touches in the penalty area, signalling another solid start for one of our young players.