Maduka Okoye has commented extensively on his move to the Premier League. The Sparta Rotterdam goalkeeper is taken over by Watford, which rents him out to the Eredivisionist until the end of the season. Okoye is undergoing a stormy development at Sparta and secured the interest of several Premier League clubs, he says in an interview with Transfermarkt.
“My management had been in contact with several clubs since the beginning of this year,” says the Nigerian goalie of Sparta. “Southampton, Burnley and Crystal Palace were also after me and were in talks with my management. But when you get an offer like Watford’s, you just have to do it. Watford convinced me with club boss Gino Pozzo: the talks and the trust, they got me number one for the Premier League and the Championship,” Okoye refers to a possible relegation to the second tier.
According to the General Newspaper Okoye’s transfer is worth around seven million euros, making him the most expensive outgoing transfer in club history. The keeper replaces Marvin Emnes, who made the switch to Middlesbrough in 2008 for four million euros. “Two years of experience in the Eredivisie should be enough,” Okoye continues. “I want to get to the top and stay there. This is a great league with great clubs, fans and players and it takes a lot to survive in this competition and be in the starting lineup. But I needed the next step to keep growing as a player and as a person.”
The Nigerian goalkeeper’s contract ran at Het Kasteel until mid-2025, but he is not serving it. The transfer to Watford will take place on January 1, 2022, after which Sparta will hire the goalkeeper back until the end of the season. In the aftermath of the competition match with Willem II, both clubs reached an agreement about the five-time international. “I checked in with my agent at the hotel in London at 4 AM and went to the medical examination the following day. It took four hours in all. I was fully checked with all buzzing devices around me. That was not really funny.”
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