Watford agree deal to sign Sparta Rotterdam goalkeeper Maduka Okoye in January

Watford have agreed a deal to sign Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye from Dutch club Sparta Rotterdam for £5million.

Okoye, Sparta’s player of the year, has signed a five-and-a-half year deal that will begin on January 1. However, the 22-year-old will spend the rest of the 2021-22 season back with Sparta Rotterdam on loan.

The 6ft 6in goalkeeper made his debut for Nigeria in a 1-1 draw with Brazil in 2019. He began his career in Germany at Borussia Monchengladbach and also played for Bayer Leverkusen and Fortuna Dusseldorf before moving to the Dutch Eredivisie side in the summer of 2020.

‘Watford FC is pleased to announce that it has reached agreement to sign highly-rated young goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, on a five-and-a-half-year deal that will begin on January 1, 2022,’ read a statement on the club’s website.

‘The Nigeria international joins the Hornets for an undisclosed fee from Eredivisie outfit Sparta Rotterdam, to where he will return on loan until the end of the 2021/22 campaign.

‘A regular starter for the Dutch club, Okoye has lined up between the sticks in each of their games so far this season, while he has made 13 appearances for his country since debuting in a 1-1 draw with Brazil in 2019.

‘The 6ft 6in shot-stopper’s consistent displays for both club and country have seen him linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs, but he has now put pen to paper on a long-term deal with the Golden Boys. 

Okoye has played every minute this season but only kept his first clean sheet in the Eredivisie this term on Saturday, with Sparta Rotterdam 16th in the standings with ten points after 12 games.  

Okoye was voted Sparta Rotterdam’s Player of the Season during the 2020-21 season