Early career Lawal started his football career with local side Corduff FC, where he played alongside fellow future senior
Republic of Ireland international
Killian Phillips. He later joined top
Dublin academy side
St. Kevin's Boys before moving on to play with the under-19 side of
League of Ireland club
Bohemians. He joined English
Premier League side
Watford in 2019. While at Watford, he was named academy player of the year for the 2020–21 season, and earned praise from then-first team captain
Troy Deeney, who compared him to
Abdoulaye Doucouré. He was offered a one-year contract by Watford in May 2021, but had attracted interest from
Chelsea,
Fulham,
Norwich City and Scottish side
Celtic, with the latter showing the strongest interest. Having rejected the contract offer from Watford, Lawal made the move to Scotland, joining Celtic in July 2021. He was assigned to the club's
B team, where he impressed with his performances, and was linked with a transfer away from the club in December 2022.
Celtic Lawal was named on the bench for the first team for the first time as Celtic went on to beat
St Johnstone 4–1. He made his senior debut on 21 January 2023, coming on as a late substitute in a 5–0
Scottish Cup win against
Greenock Morton. On 17 August 2023, Lawal signed a new long-term contract with Celtic until the summer of 2026. That same day he joined
EFL League One club
Fleetwood Town on a season-long loan deal, where he would be managed by former Celtic captain
Scott Brown. Lawal played 46 times for Fleetwood, scoring six goals as he was unable to help them avoid relegation.
Stoke City On 12 August 2024, Lawal signed for
EFL Championship club
Stoke City on a four-year-contract for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £2 million. It was later revealed that during his medical a stress fracture in his lower back was discovered. Lawal was restricted to eight appearances in
2024–25 with his only start coming on the final day of the season, a goalless draw against
Derby County which was enough for Stoke to avoid relegation. ==International career==