Italian and Serie-A side, Udinese has announced the signing of Super Eagles Central Defender William Ekong from Turkish side Bursaspor for an undisclosed fee.
William Ekong whose performance in the just concluded Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup attracted a lot of interest, have finally settled for the Serie-A side, Udinese.
William will be looking to play a huge role in the Serie-A, that is slowing reclaiming is status as the home of league football in Europe, with the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo with Juventus and other top European players.
The Super Eagles defender William has 24 appearances and just one goal for Nigeria and was a key player in his Turkish team Bursaspor before making his move.
While speaking on their latest signing, the Director of the Technical Area Mr. Daniele Pradè praised William’s physical structure and skills in defense and in the air. He said:
“Ekong is a player with an important physical structure”
He is skilled in the air game both in defense and offensive. We speak of an aggressive central defender, strong in contrast and with an excellent reading of the game: an instinctive thoughtful leader who always tries to play the ball, all of which are very well combined with the mister Velazquez game. ” He said.
William Ekong in the last season with his former club Bursaspor played 27 appearances with just two goals.
The defender who is leaving Bursaspor after just one season, did not disclose the transfer details as he looks to start a new life with his family in Italy. He also played for Gent, FC Groningen and FC Bordrecht(loan).
Ekong was part of the Nigerian Super Eagles team that qualified Nigeria to the just concluded Russia 2018 FIFA world Cup, and also played an important role in the competition, they saw Nigeria winning just one game against Iceland, in a group that had the likes of Argentina, Croatia and Iceland.
Nigeria and Iceland failed to progress to the second stage of the competition, as Argentina and Croatia showed their superiority to qualify for the second round. He will be looking to apply that experience in his Udinese career.