Former Nigerian international Godwin Okpara says the transfer moves by Super Eagles players during the recently closed transfer window will be beneficial for both the players and the national team, SportPremi reports.
The 2026 winter transfer window closed officially on February 2, with many Nigerian stars making the moves across Europe over the course of the month-long window.
While the biggest move involved Ademola Lookman’s €40 million transfer from Atalanta to Atletico Madrid, some other players switched clubs during the course of the transfer period.
Young midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi swapped Belgian club Zulte Waregem for French giants Olympique Marseille, while Frank Onyeka and Joe Aribo moved to Coventry City and Leicester City respectively in search of regular playing minutes.
Also, Terem Moffi left Nice after he suffered a public assault from the club’s supporters last year, joining FC Porto and Umar Sadiq rejoined Valencia, hoping to revive his career.
The moves are majorly aimed at getting fresh challenges and more playing time to maintain fitness and top level consistency in their performance.
Okpara reveals stance on Nigerian players transfer moves
Former PSG defender Okpara during an interview, believes the transfers were very important to keep the players in good condition, which would also be beneficial to the Nigerian national team.
“It is a good thing for them and for our national team too. I mean, you know, when you, when you’re in a team and you, you’re not, you’re not having your playing time, which you needed. it brings down players. A player without playing time, you know. The form goes down”, Okpara revealed.
“So this is an opportunity for them to step up their games and to be in good shape and to be ready for the national team too. And it’s a good thing for the national team.
So, I would say kudos to them and hopefully they will, give their best and try to show people that my former team that it was a mistake from, from the, you know, their former team not letting them to, not giving them their playing time. So it all depends on how determined they are. So everything lies on them”, he concluded.
While some of these new stars have made their debuts at their new clubs, the rest are looking forward to making an impact on their introduction.
