Former Paris Saint-Germain and Strasbourg defender Godwin Okpara has backed Ademola Lookman’s decision to join Atletico Madrid instead of Fenerbahce during the winter transfer window, speaking exclusively to Footy-Africa.
The Super Eagles winger sealed a long-awaited exit from Italian side Atalanta, joining the Spanish giants in a €40 million transfer during the recently closed transfer window.
Turkish side Fenerbahce offered the 28-year-old higher wages and were close to reaching an agreement with Atalanta, before the forward ultimately decided to move to Spain instead.
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Former Nigerian defender Okpara told exclusively Footy-Africa that Lookman was right to pick Atletico Madrid as his preferred destination.
“Just look at it when you look at Fenerbahçe, and look at Atletico Madrid. Even a blind person would not choose Fenerbahçe. Not that it’s not a good league. It’s a good league. But exposure is where you want to improve your game, where the whole world will see you. This is the league [La Liga]. This is the right league for him to go to”, Okpara revealed.
“You know, we are not saying that the Turkish league is bad, no. Would you want people to see you? People all over the world are watching La Liga. Two people are watching the Turkish league. So, I mean, nobody would take Fenerbahçe rather than going to Atletico Madrid.”
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Atletico Madrid will pay a fixed €35 million fee, with an additional €5 million in add-ons for Lookman, who is set to earn around €6 million per season in wages.
“So it’s the right choice. They know themselves that Lookman will not come. They just tried, and at the end of the day, he wouldn’t take them. It’s a gamble thing. I’m very happy for him. And it’s good for our nation”, Okpara added.
The former CAF Men’s Player of the Year winner opened his account for the club on his debut, scoring a goal and providing an assist in their 5–0 win over Real Betis in the Copa del Rey quarter-final last week.
