By Dayo Awoniyi
Belgian Pro League side KRC Genk have confirmed the signing of Nigerian-born goalkeeper Tobias Lawal on a four-year contract, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2029.
The 25-year-old joins from Austrian Bundesliga club LASK Linz and will wear the number 26 shirt.
Lawal, who is eligible to represent Nigeria through his father, is known for his commanding presence and strong footwork — attributes highlighted by Genk during the announcement.
Lawal arrives as a replacement for Mike Penders, whose loan extension was blocked by parent club Chelsea despite Genk’s interest in retaining the young keeper.
At Genk, Lawal will compete for the starting spot with Hendrik Van Crombrugge and highly-rated youngster Lucca Brughmans.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Lawal expressed enthusiasm about the move.
“This is only my second club in Europe, but Genk is a fantastic destination for young players to develop further — especially for a goalkeeper like me,” he said.
“With Courtois, Casteels, Vandevoordt, and Penders, we’ve developed some fantastic goalkeepers here. I’m really looking forward to working with the goalkeeping coaches and hope to follow in their footsteps.”
Lawal becomes the latest in a long line of promising goalkeepers to join Genk, a club renowned for nurturing elite talent.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
