General Manager of Umuahia based Diamond Football Academy Victor Okechukwu Apugo has stated that the club are taking extra care to study offers on the table for their two prized assets Kelechi Nwakali and Samuel Chukwueze before reaching a decision on which club they will join next.
Apugo who oversees the day-to-day running of the model academy said the players’ career development is uppermost in their minds and that the Academy will pick a club where they are comfortable that their players will benefit and develop at. “Samuel is like my son, I am his legal guardian and I have been taking good care of him for many years now. Likewise Kelechi, so naturally I would want the best for them.
“Both players have great potentials and we cannot afford to let money becloud our judgement in choosing a club for them. Our priority is their development and we are determined to ensure this is put into consideration before we accept any offers for them. Already we are deep in discussions and have gone very far with a big club with a rich history of encouraging young players and giving them chances. At the fullness of time, when the deal is sealed the whole world will know and agree with us that we made the best choice for the players,” said Prince Apugo who aside being the General Manager of Diamond Academy is also into large scale farming and oil and gas.
Apugo further revealed that his academy is more than just about their U17 World Cup Chile 2015 winning stars Kelechi Nwakali and Samuel Chukwueze. According to him, there are many more Nwakalis and Chukwuezes in Diamond Academy and with the way the academy is modelled, very soon many more of these budding talents will be brought to the limelight.
“We are a model academy, with a structure that is second to none in the whole country and this attracts the best young players to us. Our scouting network is nationwide, and we make sure everything is provided to our scouts to ensure they do their job well. Furthermore, our welfare package is great and the players know this and tell others. We spend more money on the team’s welfare than any other academy around, almost like league clubs. Many of you don’t know that our player Chukwuebuka Iroha was amongst the U23 squad that won the African Championship, and we have boys scattered amongst clubs across the globe,” concluded the soft spoken Chief Operating Officer of Diamond Academy
