Monaco move excites Henry Onyekuru

Super Eagles forward Henry Onyekuru has expressed delight at his latest move to the Ligue 1 to join former French champions AS Monaco.

Monaco announced the official signing of Onyekuru on Monday after the 22-year-old Nigerian star agreed to a five-year deal that would keep him at the club till 2024.

“I’m very happy to join a great club like AS Monaco. I will give everything to improve and help the Club to have a great season. I look forward to meeting my teammates,” Onyekuru told his new club website as he was unveiled and handed the number.

Trained at the Académie d’Aspire in Senegal, Onyekuru joined Belgium and joined KAS Eupen in 2015.

In his first season, he scored six goals in 19 matches and contributed to his club’s entry into the Jupiler Pro League. For his first season in the Belgian elite (2016/2017), he finished as co-leading scorer with a total of 22 goals.

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Transferred to Everton, he was loaned to Anderlecht, where he won the Belgian Super Cup in 2017 and competed in the UEFA Champions League in 2017/2018.

After being loaned again by the Toffees last season, he won the Turkish league and cup for Galatasaray (16 goals in 44 matches).

A Nigerian international with 11 caps, Onyekuru was at the 2019 African Cup of Nations where the Super Eagles finished third in the 24-team expanded tournament.

“We are very happy to have Henry Onyekuru with us. He has demonstrated his qualities in recent seasons. He is a fast and powerful offensive player who will strengthen our offensive sector. We welcome him,” Oleg Petrov, Monaco Vice President and General Manager, said.

Already, some have swiftly nicknamed Onyekuru as the new Prince of Monaco, an appellation given to former Super Eagles star, Victor Ikpeba, during his glorious days at the French club.