Paraguayan side Olimpia vow to sign Adebayor if club attracts 20,000 new members

Paraguayan outfit Olimpia have promised their fans a big reason to celebrate if they can attract 20,000 members over the weekend – the signing of former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

Olimpia are currently second in the early stages of the Apertura phase of the Paraguayan top flight but have never boasted an international star of the calibre of the 35-year-old forward.

President Marco Trovato, however, has pledged that a deal can happen if the club is shown sufficient support from their public.

Speaking to members of the media on Friday, he said: “Tomorrow we can say 'Here is Paraguay's Olimpia fighting again.' If we wake up on Monday with 20,000 more members, Emmanuel Adebayor is going to be a new player of Club Olimpia and will be presented next Wednesday.”

Adebayor has a rich history in the game, having begun his professional career in France with Metz back in 2001 after a couple of years in the Lorraine side’s youth system.

It was during a three-year spell with Monaco that he gained international recognition and earned him a move to Arsenal, where he would enjoy the most fruitful period of his career, netting at a rate of almost a goal-per-game over more than 100 Premier League matches.

Manchester City was his next stop, and though he continued to score at an impressive rate, he mustered only 34 league outings for the Citizens during a spell interrupted by loan spells with Real Madrid and Tottenham.

He eventually made the most to Spurs permanent, and though a brief spell with Crystal Palace proved a disappointment, he spent the twilight years of his career in Turkey with Istanbul BB and Kayserispor, with whom he featured at the beginning of this season.

The former Togo international is currently a free agent and is therefore eligible to be signed by suitors, though a switch to the Paraguayan top flight would be a surprising move in a career that has been spent exclusively in Europe.

Despite a storied career with some of Europe’s biggest clubs, the 2008 African Player of the Year has little silverware to show for his efforts. His only major honour is the 2010-11 Copa del Rey, won during his time with Madrid.