The 2022/23 Nigeria Professional Football League top scorer, Chukwuemeka Obioma, has agreed to a transfer move to Tunisian side Esperance, according to ‘Nigeria Report Football‘.
Enyimba FC offered a N12 million annual salary deal (minus bonuses) to the 24-year-old striker whose two-year contract at the club expired last season, but Obioma rejected the deal, opting to sign for Esperance as a free agent.
🚨 | 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐤𝐚 𝐎𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
– Player will leave as free agent after expiration of his 2 year contract
– Lawyer double checked with CAF and FIFA to avoid any grievances.
– Player Rejected a 12M per year deal excluding bonuses.
– Medicals Next ➡️. https://t.co/7rXvbB5yjR
— Nigeria Report Football (@NReportfootball) July 21, 2023
Obioma had in June expressed his desire to help Enyimba retain the league title, and also lift the CAF Champions League title with the 2022/23 league champions, but the player had a change of mind when interest from North Africa arrived.
Obioma fires Enyimba to league success
Obioma's goals fired Enyimba to the Nigeria Premier League title last season, their ninth in history to extend their record as the most successful football club in Nigeria.
The Eunisell Golden Boot winner scored 14 goals during the regular abridged league season before adding two more goals at the Super Six Championship playoffs to finish as the league's top goalscorer last season, etching his name among the top scorers list in the Nigeria Premier League.
Chukwuemeka Obioma gets the #NPFL golden boot.
The 24year old @EnyimbaFC striker scored a total of 16goals in 21games(14regular league & 2 in Super6 playoffs).
He will also receive 3.2m Naira that’s 200k naira per goal from #Eunisell.#football #naija #goldenboot #NPFL23 pic.twitter.com/jWjSUdXVsg
— Kosi_foottalk (@Kosi_foottalk) June 12, 2023
According to various sources in the public domain, the deal will be official in the next hours, as he is expected to undergo mandatory medical tests in Tunisia after striking an agreement with Esperance.
Chukwuemeka Obioma becoming an Esperance player is a big loss to the People’s Elephants who are looking to retain the league title next season, and to challenge in the CAF Champions League.
His move also comes as a huge loss to the Nigerian League which witnessed yet another top goalscorer leave for a fresh challenge elsewhere.
Nevertheless, Enyimba will seek to replace the striker before the new league season begins to drive competition with Mbaoma who was the second-choice striker for the champions last season.
The new management of Enyimba FC under the leadership of Kanu Nwankwo are looking to begin the new campaign on a good note, and there have been rumours of the club eager to strengthen the team ahead of the new season.
The Nigeria Professional Football League 2023/24 season is set to begin in the last weekend of August.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
