Djurgården make Amadou Jawo deal permanent

Amadou Jawo with Djurgården coach Per Olsson

Swedish Allsvenskan club Djurgården IF have confirmed the signing of Gambian-born striker Amadou Jawo on a five-year contract from IF Elfsborg.

The 29-year-old striker, who joined Djurgården last season on loan from Elfsborg, has been linked to quit the Tele2 Arena club for months with Polish Ekstraklasa club Legia Warszawa reported front runners to acquire his signature.

Amadou wasn’t short of suitors with clubs from Sweden, Norway, Israel, Turkey and Belgium all admirers of the 5ft 9in forward.

But he has now decided to commit his future with the eleven time Allsvenskan champions until November 30, 2018.

“It feels great. I had the opportunity to play abroad but as a whole, it feels like Djurgården has presented better. I’m Djurgården and to get a chance to be here five years ahead is extremely gratifying. I have made a statement along with Djurgården which I am very happy with,” Jawo said after completing his move reported to be worth around 500,000 Swedish Krona [300,000 Euros].

Amadou Jawo was one of Elfsborg’s most expensive players in the club’s history after joining from Gävle-based side Gefle IF in 2009 but he has since failed to grab himself a regular place at the Borås-based outfit scooping 14 appearances last season and scoring twice.

And in a bid to secure more playing time, he decided to join Djurgården after declaring at the end of the 2012 season that he would not accept being a bench player for another year at Elfsborg.

Jawo travelled to Sweden at the age of five and after settling down in a village in the Vallentuna urban area of Täby kyrkby, he joined the local club IK Frej. When he was sixteen, he made his first team debut for Vallentuna BK in Division 1 and at the end of the 2007 Division 1 season, he had trials with Djurgården where he played two games with them but ended up being overlooked.

He impressed Gefle manager Per Olsson in his second trial match with Djurgården which prompted Olsson to snap him up. After two successful seasons with Gefle, he was sold to IF Elfsborg in what was one of the most lucrative deals in the history of the club.

Amadou, brother to Gambia international defender Omar Jawo, has played 97 games in the Swedish top flight. He becomes the fourth Gambian to join the Stockholm side after goalkeeper Pa Dembo Touray, Kebba Ceesay and Aziz Corr Nyang.