Ogenyi Onazi, a Super Eagles midfield player, has explained how he was able to get his club side to bring former Chelsea player, Mikel Obi, on board.
The 26-year-old talented footballer, who narrated the part he took during an interview with JONNY EDWARD, also revealed how he has been able to remain optimistic after spending 8 months on the sidelines due to injury.
Speaking on how he influenced the decision of his club, Onazi stated, “The club had several options and he was just one among them. So, the club president asked about him from me and I told them all they needed to know and how good he can be for the team.
“I pushed it to them to get him at any cost because I know what he can bring to the team. I have played with him and so I should be in the best position to know. Just like I did when Anthony Nwakaeme was on the club’s radar last season, I had to also convince Mikel to choose Trabzonspor well ahead of other Turkish teams who were on his trail.
“Now, I can’t wait to continue that wonderful partnership we had playing for the Super Eagles at Trabzonspor. I played some of my best games with Eagles alongside him. We won the AFCON together when I was relatively young. He’s one calm guy you need around you always.
“His experience will come very handy for us as a team and the fact that Trabzonspor will be in four competitions this season also means he will be of help immensely. I’m so excited that he’s here with us and I cannot wait to join the main squad in training. He has been my football idol since I started playing football and the fact that we hail from the same place makes it more good.”
On his road to recovery after losing out on participating at the just concluded African Cup of Nations, Onazi revealed, “I’m making good progress and I am coping very well mentally from the setback. As you know, injuries are part of football and sometimes it’s inevitable.
“It is sad that it ruled me out of action this long but then, it is getting okay as I’m recovering very fast. I believe by the end of August, I should resume training with the rest of the squad. In fact, I should have resumed earlier with the squad but I had infection on my tendon which delayed my comeback a bit.
“It was strange again wearing shoes because that part of the leg became very sensitive due to the injury. These past eight months have been the hardest part of my football career so far.”
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