Abdul Abdulmalik Ready for Next Challenge After Djurgarden Bid

Abdul Abdulmalik says he is “ready for the next challenge” and “capable of reaching the top” after Boreham Wood turned down a £1.5m bid from Swedish side Djurgarden for the in-demand forward.

The National League club have already rejected an offer of £1m from the Allsvenskan outfit earlier this month and remain determined to keep hold of their prize asset. Manager Luke Garrard underlined that stance at the weekend, stressing “he is our player” after Abdulmalik was left out of Boreham Wood’s 3-0 win over Forest Green on Saturday.

The omission only sharpened the spotlight. The noise around him is growing; the door to a major move is half open. Abdulmalik has made it clear he wants to walk through it.

In a statement released via his agent, the 23-year-old paid tribute to the club that revived his career while making no secret of his ambition.

“Everyone at Boreham Wood FC and the incredible fans have played a massive part [in my journey]. You will always have my respect,” he said.

“With this said, I'm ready for the next challenge. I'm ready to prove to myself and those around me that I'm capable of reaching the top.”

Those words carry weight because of what came before them. Abdulmalik’s 2025-26 campaign was a breakout in every sense: 17 goals, 10 assists, and a starring role in a run that took Boreham Wood all the way to the National League play-off final. Under the arch at Wembley he delivered again, scoring and setting up another in the biggest game of the club’s season.

No surprise, then, that serious money has arrived. Djurgarden’s latest £1.5m offer would have smashed the record fee paid for a player from England’s fifth tier, eclipsing the £1m Leicester City handed Fleetwood Town for Jamie Vardy back in 2012. Boreham Wood still said no.

For Abdulmalik, this feels like a once-in-a-career crossroads.

“Through sheer hard work and perseverance, the opportunity to progress has come around,” he continued. “This is my chance to push myself as a footballer, elevate my game and most importantly fulfil my promise to the ones around me.”

He framed the situation as bigger than himself, a test case for players grafting away from the glare of the top four divisions.

“Opportunities like this are rare, especially within the National League where some of the hardest working talent is overlooked,” he said. “The game of football is forever changing and decisions are fast paced. There's no guarantee that the same chances come knocking twice.

“I owe it to myself and the kids growing up just like me to fight for this one I've been offered.”

That sense of urgency is rooted in a career that has already veered off the conventional path. Abdulmalik came through Millwall’s academy, rising through the age groups and representing England at under-17 level. He was part of a successful Under-21s crop at The Den, helping the side secure back-to-back Professional Development League South titles in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

The next step never quite arrived. Despite his progress in youth football, a regular route into Millwall’s first team did not materialise. In 2024 he was released, leaving him searching for a new home and a new start.

Boreham Wood offered both. Signed as a free agent, he repaid that faith spectacularly last season, turning himself into one of the National League’s most dangerous forwards and, now, one of its most valuable.

The club are standing firm. The player is pushing hard. Djurgarden have already come back once with more money and may yet test Boreham Wood’s resolve again.

BBC Sport has contacted Boreham Wood for comment.

For Abdulmalik, the question is brutally simple: does his next step come in Sweden’s top flight, or will he have to tear up the National League once more to prove he’s outgrown it?