Eagles goalkeeper Uzoho joins APOEL on permanent basis

Cypriot outfit APOEL have completed the signing of Francis Uzoho on a three-year deal from Spanish second division club Deportivo La Coruna.

The Super Eagles goalkeeper, who has spent the last 18 months in Cyprus, penned a permanent contract that will keep him with the Legend until May 2023.

APOEL will be participating in the 2020-21 Europa League first qualifying round after they finished third on the league table before the Cypriot First Division was declared null and void because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The company APOEL Football (public) Ltd announces the conclusion of an agreement with Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña for the acquisition of Francis Odinaka Uzoho,” the club announced.

“The co-operation between APOEL and Uzoho will last for three years until May 2023.

“We welcome Francis to APOEL and wish him to celebrate titles and European successes with the blue and yellow jersey.”

Uzoho spent the 2019-20 season on loan with league rivals Omonia Nicosia where he played five matches before suffering a knee injury that has kept him out of action since November.

He suffered a ligament injury during Nigeria’s international friendly outing against Brazil in Singapore which forced him to go under the knife for treatment.

Uzoho started his European career at Deportivo La Coruna in 2017 after he was scouted while in action for Aspire Academy at a tournament in Barcelona.

He featured prominently for Deportivo’s reserve team that year but struggled to break into the first-team even though he made two La Liga appearances, against Eibar and Girona, in 2017-18.

The 21-year-old spent the following campaign in the Spanish Segunda division with Elche where he played seven matches before moving to Cyprus to seek first-team football at Anorthosis Famagusta.

During his brief stint in Famagusta, Uzoho won an appeal after he was fined €1,000 and handed a one-game ban by the Cyprus Football Association for submitting an invalid medical certificate ahead of his league debut, while Anorthosis were deducted nine points.