One of the brightest lights in the Nigerian U23 football team to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Imoh Ezekiel, is set to lose a whooping 3 million Euros (N1.2B) in wages in his new move to top Turkish side Konyaspor from his Qatari side, Al-Arabi.
This disclosure was made by President of Lagos based Nationwide League side, 36 Lion football club, Alhaji Gafar Liameed, who is also the player’s minder in an exclusive interview, while speaking on the just completed transfer negotiations for the much sought after player.
The experienced football administrator,opined that career progression should be paramount and placed highly at all times in the mind of any ambitious athlete.
” I am a father to Ezekiel Imoh and several other players and it is my role as a father to protect and give them quality advise in the interest of their careers, ” Gafar quipped.
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According to the player’s minder also fondly known as Hajji Gafar, the new deal will earn the 24 years old attacker 3 million Euros in a three year deal, as opposed to 6 million Euros he would have earned if he stays on with Al Arabi till 2020.
“Imoh is a top quality player who should be playing his football week in and out in a top and very competitive league. And when we started receiving offers from different parts of Europe, we were careful not to be consumed by the huge sum of money readily available to him in Qatar”.
” Truly, it wasn’t an easy decision for him to make when I advised him to move on to a more competitive league and lose as much as N1.2B in reduced wages ” he disclosed.
Speaking further, the Lagos FA board member, added that the decision will bear positive fruits for the former Anderlecht of Belgium forward.
“It was, indeed, a gut wrenching decision. However, I believe strongly in my son’s abilities to make the best of this opportunity and make positive headlines in the top Turkish league, ” Hajji Gafar enthused confidently.
Before his short stint with the Belgian giants, Imoh was one of the hottest football properties in Europe with his eye catching performances in the colours of another Belgian side Gents.
By Akeem Busari and Babatunde Abidoye.
