Former Southampton man Michael Obefemi fires no-nonsense Blackpool message after sealing Burnley exit

Blackpool new boy Michael Obafemi has set his sights on firing the Tangerines to safety after agreeing to spend the rest of the season on loan at Bloomfield Road.

The 12-times capped Republic of Ireland international will hope to move on from what has been an underwhelming loan spell with German club Vfl Bochum after he made just three appearances in all competitions during the first half of the season.

Obafemi returned to parent club Burnley recently but Blackpool boss Ian Evatt has moved quickly to secure his services and hand a major boost to his attacking options as his side look to progress up the League One table during the second half of the campaign.

The 25-year-old will compete for a place in Evatt’s starting eleven with the likes of Ashley Fletcher, Tom Bloxham and Niall Ennis and he has stressed he is ready to ‘get his head down and get going’ as he looks to get the goals that he hopes will ensure the Tangerines remain in League One.

He told the club website: “My most recent loan was in Germany, it didn’t go as planned but I’m thankful for the experience. I just think it was a great time for me to come back to England, a great place to do it as well. So I am just looking to get my head down and get going.

“That’s why I’m here. We haven’t been on the best of form. We create a lot of chances and it’s just about putting them in the back of the net to get the team up to where it needs to be. I’m very excited, I feel like we’ve got a few big games coming up and we’ve got to make sure we get the most points out of the games. I’m looking forward to it.”

Experience

Obafemi boasts a favourable record in games against Blackpool after losing in just one of his previous four fixtures against his new club. The versatile forward has already given a hint of what he can offer after he provided the assist Oliver Ntcham to grab the only goal of the game as Swansea City claimed a narrow win at Bloomfield Road in a Championship fixture in August 2022.

The frontman will get an immediate opportunity to show what he can down in the famous tangerine shirt as Blackpool for a home double header against Northampton Town and Stockport County over the next week - and Evatt’s newest addition is relishing the opportunity to have the Bloomfield Road faithful getting behind him for the first time.

“It’s been quite nice you know,” he joked when asked about previous visits. “No, it’s a nice stadium, and I’m looking forward to be out there in the tangerine. I’ve not experienced the home crowd being on my side but I’m looking forward to it and hopefully the fans are behind the boys this weekend.”

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