Nigeria centre-back Joshua Akpudje is delighted at his move to Tampereen Ilves of Finland, attributing it to divine intervention,
“And again, God steps in. In everything you do, keep a positive mindset. Let’s go Lives FC,” the former MFM player stated in an Instagram post on Friday.
The 25-year-old moves to the Veikkausliiga campaigners for the rest of the season, including the club’s option for next season, after playing for Dinamo Tbilisi in the Georgian league.
Speaking after his unveiling on Thursday, Akpudje shared his excitement in his first interview as a player of his life, saying, “It’s great to be in Finland. Tampere is a wonderful city, and the stadium is beautiful. I also know that many young players have succeeded here. Now I get to show my best here and give something to my team and its supporters. I like to take responsibility. I play for my team and try to give my all at every moment.”
Their sports director, Miika Takkula, said that Akpudje will bring more variations and reinforcement to the team’s downstairs.
He said, “With the long-term injuries to Samba Benga and Felipe Aspegren, we needed to strengthen the defence. Joshua Akpudje is a physically strong and combative player who already has relatively much experience in European football. He brings much-needed depth to our defensive line and a slightly different coaching option in terms of player profile.”
Akpudje brings to the club vast experience from also playing in the Latvian, Lithuanian, Czech, and Georgian Premier Leagues.
The Femmak Football Academy product represented Nigeria at the U23 level, making his debut in March 2019 against Libya in an Africa U-23 Cup of Nations qualification game.