TheCable

Former Super Eagles of Nigeria striker, Efan Ekoku, has declared that Wilfried Bony’s move to Manchester City is bad for African football.

The Ivorian signed a four-and-a-half-year deal at Etihad Stadium after Swansea and City agreed the terms of the transfer at the weekend, with £25m cash up front and a further £3m in performance-related add-ons.

The deal makes Bony the most expensive African footballer in history but Ekoku says the striker’s move to Barclays Premier League champions will limit his time on the pitch and could impact his natural talent.

“If I’m being honest I’m disappointed because he’s not going to get the game time that I think he deserves,” the former Wimbledon striker told Standard Sport.

“The qualities that he’s shown over the last two seasons in the Premier League deserve a regular place. Wilfried Bony will find that he’s probably spending a lot more time on the bench than he would like to.

“All of a sudden you can just lose a bit of fitness a little bit of form and you try desperately hard to impress a lot and stop doing the things that come naturally.”

Ekoku, who had 20 caps for Nigeria scoring six goals in the process, says Bony’s move could prove costly for African football as one of the continent’s star players will be behind Sergio Aguero in the pecking order.

“His progress may be stifled and that could be a big disappointment, not only for him but for the Premier League and for African football to see one it’s leading players – not quite bit-part – but not as important as he could be,” he said.

Ekoku won the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria in 1994 and he’s back to undertake punditry duties with ITV at this year’s edition of the competition starting on Saturday in Equatorial Guinea.