Leeds United added flair and creativity to the forward line with the addition of exciting attacker Noah Okafor.
The Swiss international has penned a four-year deal at Elland Road, becoming the ninth new addition to Daniel Farke’s side for the Premier League campaign.
Below are eight facts and figures about our latest recruit...
Okafor will be a familiar face for fans who watched the Whites’ pre-season clash with AC Milan in Dublin. The forward was impressive for the Italian giants at the Aviva Stadium which ultimately saw the honours shared between the two teams.
After progressing through the youth ranks at FC Basel, Okafor made his professional debut just days prior to his 18th birthday for his boyhood club, starting in a 2-2 draw with FC Luzern. The versatile operator, equally adept anywhere across the front line, has gone on to tally up nearly 100 appearances either as a left winger or a centre-forward and played nearly 50 times on the right flank.
The 2019/20 season was a memorable one for the then-fledgling forward. Noah made his debut in the group stages of the Europa League, scoring twice, and would ultimately be crowned the Swiss Super League’s Young Player of the Season, despite joining Red Bull Salzburg midway through the year!
During his time in Austria, Noah was integral in guiding Salzburg to four consecutive Bundesliga titles and three domestic cup honours. In the 2021/22 campaign, the attacker combined for 18 direct goal involvements in just 21 top-flight matches.
Following a superb stint at the Red Bull Arena, AC Milan came calling for Noah’s signature in 2023 and in his first campaign he would help the Rossoneri to a second-place finish in Serie A. Last season, with Napoli in pursuit of just their fourth ever Italian title, Antonio Conte opted to bring the winger to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. An important member of the Gli Azzurri squad, Napoli would win the Scudetto by one point!
The Swiss international has won 24 caps for his country. Having featured for the different age groups as a youngster, Okafor was handed his debut for the senior team aged just 19 for Switzerland’s UEFA Nations League third-place play-off with England in 2019. A first goal for the Nati came in an emphatic 4-0 victory over Bulgaria – a result that guaranteed qualification for the 2022 World Cup. In Qatar, Okafor was deployed in three of Murat Yakin’s team’s four Group G encounters.
Across his different clubs, the 25-year-old has racked up 24 appearances in the UEFA Champions League, beginning with a tie against Lokomotiv Moscow for Salzburg. Last term for Milan, he added five more matches to his name in Europe’s premier competition, including clashes with Liverpool and Real Madrid!
Football runs in the Okafor family as Noah’s two younger brothers are also footballers! Last campaign, defender Elijah was on the books at Swiss outfit FC Lugano whilst 20-year-old Isaiah featured in the Academy set up at FC Zürich.
