A 23-year-old Nigerian-born defender, Chima Okoroji has joined Super Eagles’ left-back, Jamilu Collins at relegated SC Paderborn of Germany, with a view towards helping the team stage a bold return first time out to the German Bundesliga next season, megasportsarena.com reports.
The new arrival, who will link forces with Collins in the battle for promotion from the second-tier league, is also a fullback but, unlike his senior colleague, who is on a full contract with the club, Okoroji arrives on a season-long loan from SC Freiburg, where he has spent the last two years of his budding career.
Born in Germany to an English mother and Nigerian father, Okoroji was initially invited to the under-23 national team, Olympic Eagles, in December 2014; after making bold marks in the youth teams of Bayern Munich from 2004 to 2014 and FC Augsburg between 2015 and 2016.
For the upcoming season, Okoroji, who also spent time on loan at German third-tier outfit, Jahn Regensburg last term, will don jersey number 36 at Paderborn, where he declared that he is already holding a burning ambition to justify the club’s trust in him, that made them beat off interest from other teams that were also interested in having him ahead of the coming season.
Okoroji told the club’s official website: “I have had numerous conversations with interested clubs. The SC Paderborn 07 took great care of me; the concept of the club absolutely convinced me. That’s why I chose Paderborn.”
