Wellington Phoenix have strengthened their front line with the signing of prolific Nigerian striker Ifeanyi Eze, who is set to wear the club’s iconic No. 7 shirt vacated by Kosta Barbarouses, Footynaija.com reports.
Eze, 26, joins from Iraqi outfit Al-Karkh SC, where he delivered an impressive haul of 15 goals and five assists last season — a standout campaign despite the club finishing in the lower reaches of the table.
Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano is confident Eze’s attacking qualities will translate well to the Isuzu UTE A-League.
“He can score goals, he’s very fast, he can dribble at pace and his intention is to always go forward,” Italiano said. “And the most important thing for me is he’s a really, really good person.”
The left-footed forward began his career in Nigeria with Akwa United before stints at Kano Pillars and clubs in Libya and Iraq. Now, he’s determined to make his mark in New Zealand.
“The earlier I get to Wellington the better,” Eze said. “I hope everything goes fast and smoothly so I can join the team for the pre-season.”
The Nigerian is eager to repay the club’s faith in him. “One thing that I can assure the fans is that they’re going to see a hard worker… I like doing my talking on the field and they should be ready for Eze!”
Eze steps into the boots of Barbarouses, who netted 23 times in the past two seasons before joining Western Sydney Wanderers. But Eze is optimistic: “I respect him… but I’m coming to Wellington to do something better as well.”