Football transfers bring about a fresh start for some, a better opportunity for others, and a chance to earn more.

Over the course of two transfer windows, some of Nigerian stars made the step up in their careers or so we thought.

It has been a hit for the likes of Gift Orban, Tolu Arokodare and Victor Boniface, but the same can’t be said of other Nigerian stars.

Here’s a list of Players who we thought made greats until it all went south

Maduka Okoye: Sparta Rotterdam – Watford

The Super Eagles goalkeeper couldn’t have wished for a better move when the opportunity to join Watford from Sparta Rotterdam arrived.

Okoye signed for the Hornets in January 2022, and was loaned back to the Club until the end of the season.

Since he returned in the summer, it has been impossible for him to get any playing time as Australian Daniel Bachmann has been the preferred first choice.

The Nigerian is yet to make an appearance in the English Championship, he has only 180 minutes from one appearance each in the FA Cup and EFL Cup.

Joe Aribo: Rangers – Southampton

Joe Aribo’s performance with Scottish outfit Rangers was so good that Southampton didn’t think twice when they drafted him in the summer for £6 million.

However, things have not gone as expected at St. Mary’s with Southampton currently locked in a relegation battle, and Aribo has found himself in an out of the starting line up and has worked with three different managers during his short time with the club, failing to pin a starting berth under all of them.

So far he has made 26 appearances across all competitions, but has found himself playing a bit part role in a team that is struggling at the bottom of the league.

Paul Onuachu: KRC Genk – Southampton

Paul Onuachu is another tale of a bad transfer decision, as the Nigerian chose to leave the glamour of Belgium where he was conveniently the highest goal scorer with 16 goals and his team was also on course to winning the league.

He decided to join the Saints in January as he desired to fulfill his dream of playing in the Premier League, but the move backfired quickly as the manager that pushed for his signing got sacked in February and he has since been playing a bit part role failing to score in any of his outings – 8 apps – so far.

Calvin Bassey: Rangers – Ajax

Ajax spent a whopping sum of £23 million to bring the versatile defender to the Netherlands from Rangers.

So far the Nigerian has had a mixed campaign and was even under intense criticism from fans and former players who questioned his defensive abilities.

Following the sacking of Alfred Schreuder and subsequent appointment of John Heitinga as interim boss, Bassey has found himself on the bench.

Taiwo Awoniyi: Union Berlin – Nottingham Forest

Taiwo Awoniyi would be a worried man as he would be wondering how he moved from a team with huge potentials – and now third in the Bundesliga – to a team third from the bottom in the EPL.

Awoniyi jumped on the Nottingham Forest train when they had gained promotion to the Prem and were on a spending spree to bolster the squad.

Unfortunately, they ended up signing quantity – mostly – not quality, and Awoniyi just like most of his new teammates has struggled to make an impact.

At mo, Forest are looking set to head back down to the Championship despite the huge spending spree in the last summer.

Cyriel Dessers: KRC Genk – Cremonese

Cyriel Dessers took the opportunity to play in one of the top five leagues when he signed for Cremonese. He might not have envisaged was what currently looks like an immediate return to Serie B for Cremonese who are currently 19th on the log.

Cremonese are seven points away from safety with eight games to go. The Forward himself has seven goals in 26 appearances; the team’s highest goal scorer, but they mostly lack in creativity and the Dessers yo-yo form has also been a concern.