Okoye reflects on challenging period at Watford, his future with Udinese

Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has discussed why he faced challenges while playing for England outfit Watford.

The 26-year-old left Eredivisie side Sparta Rotterdam in 2021 to Watford, who were then playing in the Premier League on a five-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee. The deal saw Okoye loaned back to Sparta Rotterdam until the end of the 2021-22 campaign.

Okoye made his Watford debut on August 23, 2022 in a 2-0 home defeat to MK Dons in the second round of the EFL Cup. At Rotterdam, Okoye had been named the team’s Player of the season, keeping 10 clean sheets in 28 league games during the 2020-21 season, before he signed a contract extension until 2025.

‘I was younger and dealing with many things’

“My time at Watford was challenging, a lot was happening, not only on the pitch but also off it. I was younger and dealing with many things at the same time, including recovering from shoulder surgery. It was a tough period,” said Okoye as quoted by Footy-Africa.

“I signed for the club when they were in the Premier League, but when I arrived in the summer they were relegated, which wasn’t what I had expected, and it made things more difficult.

“Maybe I didn’t deal with some situations in the best way, but I learned from them and I’ve grown a lot. I got another chance at Udinese, and I took it. I’ve become a better player and a better man.”

In 2023, Okoye later signed for Serie A club Udinese for an undisclosed fee. However, in July 2025, he was suspended for two months by the Italian Football Federation following allegations of match-fixing during a game against Lazio in 2024, for which he was found to have violated standards of fairness but cleared of intent to fix the match itself.

Although he is already back playing for the side, Okoye hinted his future with Udinese. He responded: “I’m always happy when there are rumours, because it means I’m doing well and that clubs might want to have a future with me.

“But at this moment, I’m very happy at Udinese. I will give everything for the club, and my focus is fully here. Of course, I also want to take a step forward in my career at some point, but right now my full focus is on Udinese.”

So far this season in Serie A, Okoye has made seven appearances for Udinese.