Rochdale AFC signs Tarryn Allarakhia on a two year deal

Tarryn Allarakhia

Rochdale Football Club has announced the signing of Tarryn Allarakhia from Wealdstone on a two-year contract.

The 26-year-old, who featured in a number of attacking positions for Wealdstone last season, also represented Tanzania at the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

Dale's head coach Jimmy McNulty said: “We are delighted to have secured the signature of Tarryn.

“He has been a highly sought-after man this summer who has decided to join us, despite other clubs pursuing him seriously hard, which is a good sign of his commitment and excitement towards what we’re striving to build.

“Tarryn is a versatile attacking player who can operate wide or inside. He has displayed many high-quality moments and can be a real difference-maker in games.

“Alongside that, and perhaps most important to me, is the evidence in his last two seasons that he is willing to work hard for his team without the ball, which he displayed in his time playing wing-back for Wealdstone, whilst still bringing those attacking qualities to his performances.

“He’s a player who we believe is arriving at a good stage in his career, and we are delighted he has committed to that stage with ourselves.”

He is a product of Leyton Orient’s academy, from where he joined Aveley at the age of 17.

A move to Maldon & Tiptree followed a year later, before joining Colchester United’s development squad in 2017.

After a year with Colchester, he signed for Crawley Town, but spent most of his first season there on loan at Wealdstone, helping them to the National League South playoffs.

The Tanzanian international made over 40 appearances in League Two across three seasons for Crawley before moving to the National League with Woking for a season, making the permanent switch to Wealdstone in the summer of 2022.

He was a regular for Wealdstone, making 76 National League appearances in two campaigns. He assisted their first goal in a 3-2 win against Dale back in November.

In January, he made his senior international debut for Tanzania, against Egypt – and Mo Salah – in a friendly. He was selected for the Africa Cup of Nations, as the Taifa Stars narrowly missed out on advancing to the knockout stages.