TheCable

Udinese Calcio have reached an agreement with Watford FC to sign Maduka Okoye, Super Eagles goalkeeper.

The deal was announced in a statement on Thursday.

The 23-year-old is joining the Serie A club for an undisclosed fee. He also penned a four-year contract with the Little Zebras.

Benvenuto Maduka Okoye 🙌
Welcome #Okoye 💪

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⚪️⚫️ #ForzaUdinese #AlèUdin #WePlayForU pic.twitter.com/cGRa9F2NZw

— Udinese Calcio (@Udinese_1896) August 24, 2023

“Maduka Okoye is a new Udinese player. He arrives from Watford FC and has signed a contract until 30 June 2027. An explosive goalkeeper, gifted with great physicality and excellent technique, Okoye already boasts international experience with the Nigerian national team and in top-level championships such as the Championship and the Dutch Eredivisie,” the statement reads.

“He was born in Dusseldorf, Germany, to a Nigerian family on 28 August 1999. He joined the Bayer Leverkusen youth academy at a very young age, where he remained until 2017 when he moved to Fortuna Dusseldorf where, in 2017/2018, he played 13 games for the under-19 and 5 with the second team in the German fourth division.”

Okoye made his international debut for the Super Eagles against Brazil in October 2019.

He was the team’s first-choice goalkeeper at the 2022 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) — but was heavily criticised after Nigeria crashed out of the competition in the quarter-final.