By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Sheffield United have finalized the signing of Nigerian winger Ehije Success Ukaki from Bulgarian top-flight club Botev Plovdiv for an undisclosed fee.
The 20-year-old has signed a contract that runs until the summer of 2028.
Ukaki becomes the second Nigerian recruit from Botev Plovdiv this year, following the earlier acquisition of Christian Nwachukwu in January, highlighting the strong partnership between the two clubs focused on youth talent development.
Head coach Chris Wilder praised the signing, saying, “Ehije is a player who has been identified through our data-driven strategy and is someone we’re looking forward to developing.
“He’s an emerging talent who has gained valuable European experience early in his career.”
Last season, Ukaki played a key role for Botev Plovdiv in their European campaign, featuring in two Europa League qualifiers and two Europa Conference League qualifiers as the club sought to reach the group stages of both tournaments.
The winger now looks forward to adapting to English football at Bramall Lane, with the transfer completion subject to relevant documentation approvals.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
