Viv Solomon-Otabor

Viv Efosa Solomon-Otabor (born 2 January 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger.

Viv Solomon-Otabor
Solomon-Otabor with CSKA Sofia in 2019
Personal information
Full name Viv Efosa Solomon-Otabor[1]
Date of birth (1996-01-02) 2 January 1996[2]
Place of birth London, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[3]
Playing position(s) Winger
Youth career
Hampton & Richmond Borough
Crystal Palace
2012–2014 Birmingham City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2019 Birmingham City 33 (2)
2014 → Oxford City (loan) 12 (1)
2017 → Bolton Wanderers (loan) 4 (0)
2017–2018 → Blackpool (loan) 44 (5)
2019 → Portsmouth (loan) 7 (1)
2019–2020 CSKA Sofia 19 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13:31, 6 June 2020 (UTC)

He joined Birmingham City as a 16-year-old, and made his senior debut while on loan at Conference North club Oxford City in 2014. He first played for Birmingham in the League Cup in August 2015, and spent time on loan to League One clubs Bolton Wanderers in 2016–17, Blackpool for the 2017–18 season, and Portsmouth in 2018–19. He made 33 appearances in the Championship for Birmingham, and turned down their offer of a new contract in 2019. He spent the 2019–20 season with Bulgarian First League club CSKA Sofia.

Solomon-Otabor was born in London to Nigerian parents, and was an unused substitute for the Nigerian national team in October 2019.

Personal life

Solomon-Otabor was born in London to parents originally from Edo State, Nigeria.[4] He is the nephew of Nigerian international footballer Thompson Oliha, and his father, Victor-Banks Otabor, played domestically for Bendel Insurance, NNPC and Eagle Oil.[5] He attended Bishop Thomas Grant School, Streatham, and supported Manchester United as a boy.[2]

Club career

Early career

As a youngster, Solomon-Otabor played football with Hampton & Richmond Borough,[2] and was a member of Crystal Palace's academy,[6] before taking up a scholarship with Birmingham City in July 2012.[1] In February 2014, he joined Conference North club Oxford City on a youth loan until the end of the season.[7] He played 12 league matches, 7 as a member of the starting eleven, and scored once, in a 2–0 win away to Gloucester City, as Oxford City finished 20th.[8]

Solomon-Otabor signed his first professional contract with Birmingham, of one year with the option of a second, in June 2014.[9] In November, he described his strengths as speed, dribbling, and ability to play with both feet.[4] He was a regular in the development squad over the season, and was a member of the team that won the Birmingham Senior Cup.[10] His under-21 coach, Richard Beale, believed the player had the potential to progress to the first team but needed to work harder at the defensive aspects of the game.[11]

Birmingham City

Birmingham took up the option for a further year on his contract,[12] and he showed enough progress in pre-season and into the start of the 2015–16 season that manager Gary Rowett decided to keep him at the club instead of allowing him out on loan again. Rowett remarked on his physical development and his improved defensive work, rated him as "probably the quickest player we have got in the squad", and highlighted his having "roasted first team defenders in training".[13] Solomon-Otabor was given a squad number "with a view to participation in" the second-round League Cup tie at home to Gillingham on 25 August 2015.[14] He did indeed participate, as a second-half substitute, replacing Koby Arthur after 77 minutes. Birmingham won 2–0.[15] He made his Football League debut on 15 September at home to Nottingham Forest, replacing David Cotterill for the last ten minutes of what proved to be Birmingham's first defeat of the season.[16]

Pictured in April 2016

With Birmingham 3–2 ahead away at Fulham on 7 November, Solomon-Otabor came on as an 80th-minute substitute for Jon Toral. Deep into stoppage time, he scored his first senior professional goal, a solo effort that completed a 5–2 win: after a run down the left,[17] "a neat turn that left Richard Stearman on his backside was followed by a clinical finish".[18] After twelve substitute appearances in all competitions, Solomon-Otabor made his first start on 28 December, replacing the rested Demarai Gray for the visit of MK Dons.[19] The Milton Keynes Citizen reported that Dons were lucky not to concede a penalty when a defender appeared to handle Solomon-Otabor's 36th-minute cross.[20] Rowett "thought Viv looked a little bit nervous, which is understandable, but he's worked hard in the second-half and contributed to some of the moments and certainly the performance. ... Every time he comes on the pitch, he does what we ask him to do; he stays wide, he crosses the ball, he gets into good positions.[19]

He remained in the starting eleven for the next match, at home to Brentford, with Gray about to complete his transfer to Leicester City of the Premier League,[21] and a few days later signed a three-and-a-half-year contract, due to expire at the end of the 2018–19 season.[22] Those were his only starts; he made eleven more appearances over the season, but all were as a substitute.[23] Nevertheless, his performances earned him the club's Young Player of the Season award for 2015–16.[24]

Loan spells

Having played little during 2016–17, Solomon-Otabor joined League One club Bolton Wanderers on 31 January 2017 on loan until the end of the season. Birmingham manager Gianfranco Zola hoped he would be able to progress a conversion from winger to striker.[25] He made only four appearances, all as a substitute, before his loan expired.[26]

In late July 2017, Solomon-Otabor signed for Blackpool, newly promoted to League One, on loan until 6 January 2018.[27] He made his debut as a second-half substitute in the opening fixture of the season,[28] and put in what the Blackpool Gazette called a "lively" performance in the next match, the EFL Cup defeat away to Wigan Athletic.[29] He played regularly through the first half of the campaign, and his loan was extended to the end of the season.[30] He went on to make 47 appearances (44 in League One) in which he scored five goals.[28]

Behind Jota, Jacques Maghoma and loanee Connor Mahoney in the pecking order, Solomon-Otabor was used sparingly by Birmingham in the early part of the 2018–19 season. His last appearance was in November against Hull City: he came on in the first half for the injured Jota and was himself substituted after 65 minutes.[31] Solomon-Otabor joined League One club Portsmouth on 31 January 2019 on loan until the end of the season.[32] He did not become a regular in the side:[33] he made seven league appearances, scored once, and played in both legs of Portsmouth's play-off semi-final defeat to Sunderland.[34]

CSKA Sofia

On his return to Birmingham, the club offered him a one-year contract,[35] which he chose to decline, instead signing a three-year deal with CSKA Sofia of the Bulgarian First League.[36] He made 22 appearances in all competitions, scored once in 19 First League matches, and represented CSKA Sofia in the UEFA Europa League, before Bulgarian football was suspended in mid March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] Solomon-Otabor's contract was cancelled for financial reasons during the hiatus.[37]

Following a controversial international match between England and Bulgaria in October 2019, he became a target for racial abuse from supporters of opposing clubs and of his own; the club itself spoke out in support of him.[38]

International career

In June 2015, Solomon-Otabor was invited to attend trials for Nigeria's Olympic team,[6] and trained with the team ahead of their 2015 All-Africa Games campaign.[39]

In October 2019 he received his first call up for Nigeria, as a replacement for the injured Samuel Kalu for a friendly against Brazil in Singapore.[40] He remained an unused substitute.[38]

Honours

Individual

Career statistics
As of match played 7 March 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup[lower-alpha 2] Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Birmingham City 2013–14[8] Championship000000—00
2014–15[8] Championship000000—00
2015–16[23] Championship2211020—251
2016–17[26] Championship301010—50
2017–18[28] Championship000000—00
2018–19[34] Championship811010—101
Total 3323040—402
Oxford City (loan) 2013–14[8] Conference North121——121
Bolton Wanderers (loan) 2016–17[26] League One40———40
Blackpool (loan) 2017–18[28] League One44510101[lower-alpha 3]0475
Portsmouth (loan) 2018–19[34] League One71——3[lower-alpha 4]0101
CSKA Sofia 2019–20[8] First League 19120—1[lower-alpha 5]0221
Career total 1191060505013510
  1. Includes FA Cup, Bulgarian Cup
  2. Includes EFL Cup
  3. Appearance in EFL Trophy
  4. One appearance in EFL Trophy, two in EFL League One play-offs
  5. Appearance in UEFA Europa League
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References
  1. "List of Players Registered as Scholars in Accordance with Rule C.3 Between 01/07/2012 and 31/07/2012" (PDF). The Football Association. p. 51. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  2. "Blue kid on the block – Viv Solomon". Birmingham City F.C. 4 September 2013. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  3. "Viv Solomon-Otabor". Blackpool F.C. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  4. "Birmingham City starlet opts for Nigeria". Soccer Laduma. 6 November 2014. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  5. "Birmingham starlet, Solomon-Otabor to join Flying Eagles". Complete Sports. Nigeria. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  6. Dick, Brian (5 June 2015). "Birmingham City youngster could be heading to next year's Olympics". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  7. "Oxford City loan move for Solomon-Otabor". Birmingham City F.C. 25 February 2015. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  8. "V. Solomon-Otabor". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  9. "Blues sign-up Viv Solomon-Otabor". Birmingham City F.C. 16 June 2014. Archived from the original on 16 June 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  10. Lewis, Peter (30 April 2015). "Blues win the Senior Cup". Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  11. Dick, Brian (28 April 2015). "Find out what Viv Solomon-Otabor must do to make him first team ready". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  12. Tattum, Colin (5 May 2015). "Quartet offered new deals". Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  13. Dick, Brian (25 August 2015). "Birmingham City boss Gary Rowett predicts 'huge' future for Viv Solomon-Otabor". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  14. "U21s travel to Bolton". Birmingham City F.C. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  15. "Birmingham 2–0 Gillingham". BBC Sport. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  16. Dick, Brian (15 September 2015). "Birmingham City 0 Nottingham Forest 1". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  17. "Report: Fulham 2 Blues 5". Birmingham City F.C. 7 November 2015. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  18. Dick, Brian (7 November 2015). "Birmingham City analysis: Back on track; Why Jon Toral is vital for Blues; Other things we learned". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  19. "Reaction: Blues 1 MK Dons 0". Birmingham City F.C. 28 December 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  20. Lock, Toby (28 December 2015). "Report: Birmingham 1–0 MK Dons: Maghoma gives Dons the Blues". Milton Keynes Citizen. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  21. "Birmingham City 2–1 Brentford". BBC Sport. 2 January 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  22. "Viv Solomon-Otabor signs new long-term Blues contract". Birmingham City F.C. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  23. "Games played by Viv Solomon-Otabor in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  24. "Jon Toral nets a hat-trick at Birmingham City's end of season awards". Birmingham City F.C. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  25. Dick, Brian (31 January 2017). "Birmingham City transfers: Viv Solomon-Otabor completes Bolton Wanderers loan move". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  26. "Games played by Viv Solomon-Otabor in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  27. "Birmingham City winger arrives on loan". Blackpool F.C. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  28. "Games played by Viv Solomon-Otabor in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  29. "Wigan Athletic 2 Blackpool 1: Five things we learned". Blackpool Gazette. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  30. "Solomon-Otabor sees Blackpool loan extended". Birmingham City F.C. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  31. Rooney, Will (17 May 2019). "The Insider: Portsmouth loanee has raw attributes to have decent career after arriving from Birmingham". The News. Portsmouth. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  32. "Solomon-Otabor arrives on loan". Portsmouth F.C. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  33. Rooney, Will (17 May 2019). "Why Portsmouth fell short against Sunderland in the play-offs – an autopsy of what went wrong in the second leg". The News. Portsmouth. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  34. "Games played by Viv Solomon-Otabor in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  35. "New contract offers to Blues duo". Birmingham City F.C. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  36. Busari, Niyi (14 July 2019). "Viv-Solomon Otabor seals 3-year contract deal with CSKA Sofia". BSN Sports. Nigeria. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  37. "Solomon-Otabor recalls sickening abuse he received while playing for CSKA Sofia". GhanaSoccernet. 6 June 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  38. Unwin, Will (27 March 2020). "Viv Solomon-Otabor: the player who took a risk with Bulgaria move". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  39. "Super Eagles call-up for Viv Solomon-Otabor". Birmingham City F.C. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  40. Dede, Steve (7 October 2019). "CSKA Sofia forward Viv Solomon-Otabor gets debut Super Eagles call-up to replace injured Samuel Kalu for Brazil friendly". Pulse NG. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
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