Football
Exclusive: Interest from Premier League and Saudi Arabia Rumoured for Raphael Onyedika
Raphael Onyedika, the Super Eagles midfielder at Club Brugge, is attracting interest from top clubs in the Premier League and Saudi Arabia.
Image Credits: Gregory Van Gansen / Photo News via Getty Images
Super Eagles midfielder, Raphael Onyedika is fired up for a great season ahead, and remains unfazed by the plethora of clubs jostling for his signature in the summer transfer window.
Yet, the lure of playing in the Premier League could be just enough to sway the Club Brugge player's stance.
Honing his skills in Midtjylland
Onyedika joined FC Midtjylland as a raw and untapped teenager in 2020, to very little fanfare. But things changed swiftly as even seasoned internationals the likes of Henrik Dalsgaard and Vagner Love who he got to train together and play with soon caught the awe of his talent, something he feels immensely "proud" of.
Image Credits: Goal.com
Courting attention across Europe
Onyedika has courted attention all through the 2023/24 season, thanks to his brilliant displays for Club Brugge and this summer promises to be an interesting one.
Spanish La Liga giants, Barcelona had reportedly made advances at the player in the course of last term while Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Everton are as well keeping tabs on the 23-year-old.
Now, SportsBoom has gathered that an unnamed Saudi Arabian club have joined the mix, tabling an astounding offer and are ready to meet Club Brugge's asking price of £20million for their prized asset.
Joining Club Brugge
Having arrived the Jan Breydel Stadium in 2022 from Denmark, Onyedika had set about cementing his place in the Club Brugge first team setup, first under manager Carl Hoefkens and still.
Last season saw him play a starring role in the middle of the park for his side as they finished fourth in the First Division A. And now, he's poised for more.
It's really flattering when you see these names, this calibre of clubs getting interested in your services
Raphael Onyedika
The lure of the Premier League
Talking about the speculations linking him with a move to the Premier League, Onyedika believes the English topflight remains a dream.
"The Premier League? These are places you can't say no to as a top professional. When they come calling and everything is right, sure of course.
The likes of Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Dennis are Nigerians who had made the jump to the Premier League after turning out for Club Brugge in the past. And he hopes to follow in their footsteps.
The lure of the Premier League
Talking about the speculations linking him with a move to the Premier League, Onyedika believes the English topflight remains a dream.
"The Premier League? These are places you can't say no to as a top professional. When they come calling and everything is right, sure of course.
The likes of Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Dennis are Nigerians who had made the jump to the Premier League after turning out for Club Brugge in the past. And he hopes to follow in their footsteps.
Since he broke loose from the shackles of long hours huddled up in a hot classroom learning Mandarin Chinese and Pinyin at the famous Confucius Institute, UNIZIK, Emmanuel Chinaza has embraced sports and football in particular, and it helped that he grew up in the football-crazy city of Anambra.