Okoye open to Eredivisie’s return, talks about bench role at Watford

Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye is open to a return to the Netherlands if his situation at Watford remains unchanged.

Maduka Okoye exchanged Sparta Rotterdam for Watford over the summer, 8 months after the deal was agreed in January.

But since he made the move from the Dutch top-flight league to England’s second-division league he has found life very tough as he is only seen as a reserve player at Watford.

It is so bad that the 23-year-old is yet to play a single league game and has less than 4 appearances to his name in Watford colours.

In an interview with Voetbal Primeur, Maduka Okoye lamented his situation at Watford, and open the doors to a move back to the Netherlands.

“Every goalkeeper who goes from the Netherlands to England has some starting problems. I was also told that I will have the time and space to adapt to the level and to a new country and new competition so that I can eventually make the move. Some things are different in England than in the Netherlands, just take the physical difference.

“Sports-wise it hasn’t worked out as I had hoped, but we’re sticking to the plan. No, it’s certainly not easy. It’s quite tough, I have to tell you very honestly. At Sparta, I played every week and now I’m on the couch, that was something I had to get used to. Then you come home with a different feeling than when you play every week, take balls out of the goal and get compliments. But that is also football and is just part of it.

“I am still 100 percent behind my transfer because I did well in the Eredivisie and of course could not stay with Sparta forever. I just keep working hard and want to show myself. We hope to be promoted to Watford in the Premier League. It’s going to be difficult, but we keep believing in it.

“We’ll see what happens. My contract runs until 2027, so anything is possible. Maybe I will be rented out, or not, I don’t know yet. The Eredivisie? Yes, that sounds like something to me “The clubs in the Netherlands know me well from Sparta and know what they can do with me. We’ll see. For now I’m just focusing completely on Watford and the games we’re going to play.”