Mansfield Town sign Deji Oshilaja

Mansfield Town have announced the signing of midfielder Deji Oshilaja on a two-year contract. The 31-year-old joins the Stags after departing Sky Bet League One side Burton Albion.

Oshilaja, who can also operate in defence, began his career with Cardiff City’s Academy in 2009 and signed his first professional contract in 2012.

He made his debut for Cardiff in the League Cup in August 2012, followed by loan spells at Newport County and Sheffield Wednesday the next season.

In 2015, Oshilaja had a short-term loan with AFC Wimbledon before gaining further experience with three successive loan spells at Gillingham between 2015 and 2017. He then moved to Wimbledon permanently in 2017, making 67 league appearances over two seasons and earning the club’s Player of the Year award for 2017/18.

Oshilaja's impressive performances caught the attention of Charlton Athletic, where he made 25 league appearances in the Championship. After another season with the Addicks, he joined Burton Albion in 2021, where he made 133 appearances over three seasons, becoming a key part of their defence.

After signing with Mansfield, Oshilaja expressed his enthusiasm for the move. “I’m very happy. Having spoken to the manager, his staff and the players that I know here, I feel like it’ll be a great place to play football next season,” he said.

“The manager has a clear plan for me in terms of what he wants me to bring to the team so that’s exciting. With the way people speak about him – I feel that’s someone I want to play for. I want to bring a lot of energy, a lot of organisation and a lot of quality. I’m a leader.”

Oshilaja added, “The manager is building a team here where the environment and the characters of the dressing room are good characters so hopefully we can all gel and have a good season.”