Chiedozie Ogbene, a Nigerian-born footballer who also represents the Republic of Ireland, has made a significant move by becoming the first new signing for Luton Town, a newly promoted team in the Premier League.
At the age of 26, Ogbene will officially join Luton Town on July 1, following the expiration of his current contract with Rotherham United. In the previous season, he showcased his talent by scoring eight goals in 39 games, contributing to Rotherham's 19th-place finish in the Championship.
Expressing his excitement, Ogbene stated on the Luton Town FC website,
"I'm thrilled to be joining Luton Town as a Premier League player, considering the journey I've been on over the past five and a half years.
"My former coach once said that only one in 200,000 would make it to the top—I guess I'm that one!
"My journey is incredibly meaningful to me. I come from Rotherham United, where I achieved great things with great people. However, the opportunity to be recognized as a Luton Town player and have the chance to feature in the Premier League was an opportunity I couldn't pass up."
Luton manager Rob Edwards also shared his thoughts on the new signing, stating,
"Chio is an incredibly exciting addition and someone we have admired for quite some time.
"We had the opportunity to closely observe him last season while preparing to face him and his Rotherham team. In my opinion, he was their most skilled and threatening player.
"He's at an age where he is eager to learn, and he possesses a fantastic personality. We had a wonderful conversation, and I instantly loved his character."
Ogbene made history as the first African-born player to represent Ireland when he made his debut in June 2021. Since then, he has scored four goals in 15 international appearances.
He began his professional career at Cork City and later played for Limerick before joining Brentford in 2017. After a loan spell at Exeter City, he moved to Rotherham in 2019, where he made 136 appearances over four seasons, scoring 14 goals.