Real Monarchs Sign Manchester City Academy Defender

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Real Monarchs have signed 19-year-old Timi Sobowale from Manchester City Academy, the club announced. His arrival is pending league approval while the details of his signing are not disclosed.

“Timi is a young cerebral defender who, for his age, carries himself with a great abundance of maturity. The expectation is for him to come in and be a stalwart defender for the Monarchs,” RSL Assistant General Manager Tony Beltran said. “We look forward to watching him continue to develop and mature as defender with the Monarchs.”

Welcome Timi Sobowale to the Monarchs family!!
📰: https://t.co/Qd3576npPF pic.twitter.com/kUgdZ4fVMk

— Real Monarchs (@RealMonarchs) May 10, 2021

Sobowale has been with City’s Academy since 2018, he has made 21 appearances with the Sky Blues. Since his arrival in Manchester, Sobowale has found his feet at the under-23 level in the Premier League 2.

Prior to his time in Manchester, Sobowale began his professional career with The Citizens in 2018.

Sobowale has duel citizenship with Nigeria but opts to represent the Republic of Ireland. He notched his first international cap for the Republic in 2017, when he was just 16 years old, after he debuted at the under-17 level.

Currently, Sobowale represents the Republic of Ireland at the under-19 level and just recently competed in the UEFA European U-19 Championship.

Real Monarchs played to a 2-2 draw on the road against San Antonia this past weekend. Their home opener is this upcoming Friday evening (May 14) with kickoff expected for 7:30 p.m.