Official : Former Crystal Palace And Burnley Youth-Teamer Koiki Joins Bristol Rovers

Nigerian left-back Ali Koiki has ended his search for a new club following his move to League One side Bristol Rovers.

Via their official website, Bristol Rovers confirmed the signing of the highly-rated youngster on Thursday.

Koiki turned out for the academy team of Crystal Palace before transferring to Burnley, where he progressed through the ranks before establishing himself as a key player for the U23s.

The 21-year-old was an unused substitute for Premier League games with Arsenal, West Ham and Chelsea, and also sat on the bench vs Peterborough United in the FA Cup while at the Clarets.

Having turned down a new deal at Burnley at the end of the 2019-20 season, he tried his luck at Charlton Athletic but nothing came out of it.

In his first words as a player of Bristol Rovers, Koiki said : "I'm happy to finally be here and hope to hit the ground running!

"It's good to see the project that's happening around here, and that there's a goal that needs to be achieved - it's good for young players to have those around them who are their level and have the same scope as them."

Koiki could make his league debut for Bristol Rovers when they face Tariq Uwakwe's Accrington Stanley this weekend.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit : bristolrovers.co.uk