Following the end of his loan deal at Gaziantep, Nigerian international and forward David Okereke is now locked in a decision between joining Kocaelispor or returning to his parent club US Cremonese, Footy-Africa has exclusively learned.
Okereke officially exited Gaziantep after a season on loan from the Italian outfit, and now has a decision to make on his next move for the forthcoming campaign. He remains undecided on whether to return to Cremonese, who have been promoted to the Italian Serie A, or join Kocaelispor, who have made direct contact.
With Cremonese, he still has a contract that runs until the end of the 2025/26 season, and would like to fight for his place. However, Kocaelispor have made direct approaches to net the player on a three-year contract, with slightly better terms.
An exclusive source close to the player’s agent, Patrick Bastianelli, has revealed to Footy-Africa, that the player is still assessing what would be better for his career, before making a decision.
“He (Okereke) is yet to make a decision, and wants to take his time. He is tempted with the kind of terms from Kocaelispor, where he could reunite with head coach Selcuk Inan. But he also feels playing in the Italian Serie A is a huge opportunity. However, with Cremonese, he also wants assurance of game time and that’s tricky. He’s taking his time and not rushing before making a decision,” the source exclusively told Footy-Africa.
During his loan at Gaziantep, the 27-year-old, whose TransferMarket valuation is estimated at €2.2 million, made 30 appearances on loan at Gaziantep, scoring eight goals and providing three assists. He also previously had a brief loan stint at Italian Serie A side Torino in the 2023/24 season, where he made nine appearances.
Meanwhile, at Cremonese before the loan, he played 57 matches across one-and-a-half seasons in all competitions, scoring 11 goals, with three assists registered. In the past, the forward has featured for Venezia, Cosenza and Spezia in Italy as well as Club Brugge in the Belgian top-flight.
Internationally, while he has received several call ups to play for Nigeria’s senior national team, The Super Eagles, he has yet to complete a competitive cap. However, his form has been improving and an appearance in the national colors is now nearer than before.
