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Kenyan international Joseph Okumu has expressed his joy after he was officially unveiled by Swedish top-tier side IF Elfsborg on Wednesday.
The former Chemelil Sugar defender joined the team from USA side Real Monarch, which is the reserve team of MLS side Real Salt Lake, on a two-year deal.
Having played professionally in South Africa for Free State Stars and in the USA for AFC Ann Arbor and Real Monarch, Okumu is now ready for the big leap in Europe.
“It really feels great to move to Sweden and sign for Elfsborg. It is good working environment for me and I’m here to get the experience, learn as much as I can and continue developing as a player.
The team has a good history and the league is famed for producing great players. A lot of teams were interested in my services but I met the Elfsborg management team for discussions and I was convinced this is the best place for me," Okumu revealed.
“I am ready to get down to work and my goal is to help the team post good results and my promise is to fight for the team in all the matches I play to ensure we get good results.”
“We are very happy that Joseph chose IF Elfsborg. He is a young and talented central defender. He is physically endowed and with good speed. He has the potential to develop," said Elfsborg manager Jimmy Thelin.
Famously known as Crouch due to his height (6’4), Okumu burst into the scene in 2016 while featuring for Chemelil Sugar in the Kenyan Premier League.
He joined the club straight from Kakamega High School and only played for four months before PSL side Free State Stars came calling. He was there for just a season before he went to fourth-tier side AFC Ann Arbor in the USA, where he continued his development and was consequently poached by Real Monarch late last year.
He featured in just 13 games but it is the 2019 Afcon that thrust him into the eyes of serious football scouts. Drafted into the first squad of Harambee Stars after injuries to first choice centre backs Brian Mandela and Joash Onyango, the youngster grabbed the opportunity with both hands and put in decent performances against Tanzania, Senegal and eventual winners Algeria.
“The 2019 Afcon was a good level to play against quality players like Senegal’s Sadio Mane and it was a great experience for me. I am young and I will keep learning and developing, Okumu said.
Tusker assistant coach Francis Baraza is the man who gave Okumu the first taste of competitive football when he was the Chemelil Sugar coach in 2016.
He says he is not surprised with the player’s progress and was actually expecting him to move to either England or France after his stellar performance at the 2019 Afcon.
“I started following him when he was still a form one student at the great Kakamega High School and I could tell he had something in him. I wanted to sign him up at Muhoroni Youth when he was still in form 2, but chose to let him continue developing in school. I continued following his progress and immediately he was done with form four, he was the first signing as I joined Chemelil Sugar.
Many at the club were surprised why I had faith in such a young player and were even more surprised when he started our first league match in Kisumu against Gor Mahia. But I knew he was a good player and just four months after joining Chemelil he moved to the PSL with Free State Stars,” Baraza told Nation Sport.
“He is a rare talent and I am very happy for him. I watched his performances at Afcon and I could tell he was still getting better as a player. I expected him to make a big switch to either France or England, but Sweden is an equally good country for a young player and I know he will get into the big leagues very soon," Baraza added.
Okumu was registered just before the close of the summer transfer window in Sweden and now awaits a work permit to enable him get down to work in his new team.
Formed in 1904, Elfsborg is one of the oldest teams in Sweden. They recently moved into their new stadium known as the Boras Arena.
They are currently eighth in the Allsvenskan standings with 27 points from 21 matches and will be up against 12th-placed Sirius on Saturday afternoon.
