Adamu: “I worked my way up there”
Junior Adamu has had an incredible season. The 21-year-old Red Bull Salzburg striker won the championship and cup with his team, reached the round of 16 in the Champions League and made his debut for the national team. He also has a clear goal for the coming season – he wants to be top scorer.
Junior Adamu had a lot to celebrate last season.
FC Red Bull Salzburg via Getty Images
Junior Admau switched to the Salzburg Academy at the age of 14 and worked his way into the professional squad of Red Bull Salzburg via Liefering. At the beginning of 2021, the native Nigerian was loaned out to St. Gallen, where he spent half a season hunting for goals. 17 games and eight goals later, the then 20-year-old was ready to strike for Salzburg. “When I came back to Salzburg from St. Gallen, my plan was to play as much as possible. I worked my way up there so that I could get the events,” Adamu recalled in an interview with kicker.
The stakes became him. The attacker made 43 competitive appearances for Red Bull Salzburg last season, scoring nine goals and five assists. When asked about his personal highlights, Adamu doesn’t have to think twice: “I can still remember the goal against Bayern and it will probably stay that way for a long time to come (laughs).”
He addressed the opening goal against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. At Salzburg’s home game, Admau was only on the bench before an injury to Noah Okafor meant he was brought on in the 12th minute. Nine minutes later, Adamu scored to make it 1-0. The game ended 1:1, in the second leg in Munich they had to admit defeat with 1:7. Nevertheless, the 1.82 meter tall center forward and his team can also look back on a strong season in the premier class. “That’s exactly what we want to achieve again. In the Champions League we want to get as far as possible to play against many top clubs,” Adamu looks forward to the coming season with anticipation.
No talks with neo-team boss Rangnick yet
His strong performances did not go unnoticed by the great ÖFB team boss Franco Foda. The striker made his debut for the Austrian national team in November. “We haven’t had a conversation with Ralf Rangnick yet, hopefully that will happen in the future (laughs)”, the 21-year-old is waiting for a second assignment soon. The appearances under the neo-ÖFB coach are very appealing to Adamu: “Ralf Rangnick is a very good coach and will take us far. The team seems more liberated under him.”
Adamu is currently at a training camp in Bramberg with Salzburg. Preparations for the coming season are in full swing. The goals with the series champion are clearly set. “Of course our goals are the championship and the cup. We want to go as far as possible in the Champions League,” said the attacker. And what is his personal goal? “My goal is to be the top scorer and to support the team as much as possible,” Adamu replies confidently.
Of course, the prerequisite for this is as many missions as possible. Not an easy task when you take a look at the Salzburg squad. With Roko Simic, Sekou Koita, Benjamin Sesko, Noah Okafor and Fernando, the competition on the offensive is particularly fierce. “Of course everyone wants to play and that’s why they really step on the gas in training. It’s very intense. It won’t be easy for sure, but I’ll keep working hard to get a regular place.” Adamu knows his advantages: “I’m strong in one-on-one combat, good with my head and have my qualities when it comes to scoring goals.”
The 21-year-old still has a contract with the series champions until 2025, but he still drew attention to himself with his strong natural performances. Adamu has already been linked with a number of clubs from Germany and England. The Salzburg striker does not care much about that. “Right now I’m fully focused on Red Bull Salzburg.”