Elerewe keen to follow success of Charlton teammates

Deji Elerewe is determined to follow in the footsteps of Aaron Henry and Charles Clayden and use a loan spell at Wealdstone to develop his hugely promising career.

Henry and Clayden both starred last season for the Stones on short term loan spells from Charlton Athletic – and the Stones are getting quite a reputation for the way it looks after young talent.

Elerewe, the giant teenage defender, is the next hot prospect to arrive on a short-term deal and he is keen do the same as his Addicks teammates after signing a contract that will keep him at The Vale until January, although his parent club have the option of a recall at any point after the first 28 days of the loan.

"I really like the way we play," said the 18-year-old centre-half. "Aaron and Charles both really enjoyed their time here and talked about the style of play and the fans. I can already see there is a good mentality here and I just want to help the team do what they want to do."

Elerewe has already made 11 appearances for the Addicks, including three as a substitute in League One.

"It's been a bit of a whirlwind for me," said the Catford-born stopper who made is first-team debut last August, signed his first professional contract in December and then won the League One Apprentice of the Year in the summer.

"As an 18-year-old it's been great to be around the first team. It will now be good to hopefully play week in, week out here in the National League and show what I can do and help the team. It feels like a good platform here for me to progress."

Keen to be the next one of the production line at The Valley and carve out a career similar to Joe Gomez and Adeloma Lookman, Elerewe signed for the Stones on Saturday morning and played against Chelmsford City in the afternoon.

"I didn't know anyone and everyone came up to me and introduced themselves," said Elerewe. "It helped me really settle in and made me feel part of it."

Manager Stuart Maynard was thrilled to land a player of Elerewe's potential after losing a couple of defenders in the summer.

"Deji came in for his debut and did well," said Maynard. "He had a tough week working on his fitness up at Lilleshall with Charlton and as a result we are getting a super-fit player. We are getting up to speed on how we do things, but one thing for sure is that he's going to be a top player for us."

Catch Deji on his debut this weekend as the Stones host Bromley for our opening game of the 2022/23 National League season. Tickets available both online or via cash or card at the turnstiles!

We're also running a triple bundle ticket offer, where you can get a ticket to our first three home games at last seasons prices when we host Bromley, FC Halifax Town and Yeovil Town. This available online only.