Abdul Abdulmalik became the most expensive signing from non-league football on August 30, joining Swedish Allsvenskan side Djurgårdens IF for a fee of £1.5m. The top-tier Swedish outfit, 12-time league champions, splashed out on Boreham Wood forward Abdulmalik in a bid to improve on last season’s fifth-place finish.
The record transfer fee eclipses Jamie Vardy’s £1m move from Fleetwood Town to Leicester City back in 2012, a transfer that went on to become one of the greatest value-for-money signings of the modern era. Now, Abdulmalik has the opportunity to go from the lower echelons of the footballing pyramid to try and make his mark at the top.
The 23-year-old London-born forward began his career at Millwall’s academy, joining Wealdstone on loan while still with the Lions for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons. Millwall released Abdulmalik in July 2024, with Abdul’s search for a new club compounded by rejection at Portsmouth following an unsuccessful trial in 2021.
Quickly, Abdulmalik was going from the EFL down to the National League for the 2024/25 season, as Boreham Wood offered salvation to the forward’s career. Abdulmalik would flourish under manager Ross Jenkins, playing mainly on the left wing. A 15-goal return from 48 games in his first season instantly made Abdul a fan favourite.
The 2025/26 season would be a campaign of highs and lows for Boreham Wood. The London outfit reached the National League Cup final against West Ham United U21s. Following a thrilling 2-2 draw at the end of 90 minutes, Boreham Wood edged the Hammers on penalties, winning 7-6 and securing the trophy.
Wembley then played host to the National League Play-Off Final as Boreham Wood looked to make the leap into the Football League, with Rochdale standing in their way. Rochdale had lost the chance of automatic promotion after late drama at Spotland against York City on the final day of the season. A 1-1 draw sent the Minstermen up as champions.
Sadly, a wounded Rochdale would not lie down for Boreham Wood. Just like the National League Cup final, the tie ended 2-2 at the end of normal time. Boreham Wood’s penalty prowess sadly didn’t continue, as Rochdale tucked away three of their five spot-kicks to send them up into League Two.
Despite the disappointment, Boreham Wood’s wingman was being watched following a season consisting of 17 goals and 10 assists. Abdulmalik notably provided the assist that led to Boreham Wood’s opener, crossing for Matt Rush to head home. At the start of this season, bids were being placed by Djurgårdens around the £1m mark.
In the end, the Swedes were told that they would have to smash the transfer record to secure the services of Boreham Wood’s star man. Questions over how the Stockholm side knew about Abdulmalik were answered in an interview with Djurgårdens’ new number 10.
Djurgårdens director of football Max Hahn knew of Abdulmalik following the National League Cup final, having previously been employed at West Ham. In a welcome interview at Djurgårdens, Abdulmalik revealed, “He knows what I can do,” when asked about his interactions with Hahn.
Matchdays will be a lot different for Abdulmalik with Djurgårdens regularly filling the 3Arena with 25,000 supporters — a little different to the average attendance of 1,242 at Boreham Wood. Europe is also still a possibility for Djurgårdens, with the season ending in November, as Abdulmalik’s adventure into top-flight football is imminent.
Image Credit: Anders Henriksson