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Reims sign Nigerian defender Godwin Itotomi on loan from Grassrunners
French Ligue 2 club Reims have signed 18-year-old Nigerian central defender Godwin Itotomi from Grassrunners academy, according to OwnGoalNigeria.com.
Itotomi will join Reims on a one-year loan deal that includes an option for the French club to make the move permanent at the end of the agreement. He will initially be part of the club’s youth set-up, where his progress and performances will be assessed before any possible promotion to the first team.
The defender’s move follows a trial period with Reims during which he featured in matches for the club’s Under-19 side. His displays during that spell were enough to convince the club to offer him a place in its development structure.
Reims confirmed the agreement in a statement published on the club’s website, explaining that Itotomi had joined the Reims Revelations group after his time at Grassrunners FC academy in Nigeria.
The club said:
“After taking his classes at the Nigerian Grassrunners FC academy, Godwin Itotomi joins Reims Revelations. An ideal human and infrastructural framework for a first experience on the European continent, which will facilitate its adaptation and allow it to continue its development in the best conditions.
His first steps in Red & White have already been taken. On trial for several days at the Raymond Kopa Life Center, the powerful Nigerian central defender has indeed taken part in the matches against Paris Saint-Germain (U19) and then Eintracht Frankfurt (Reims Revelations). Convincing performances that now allow him to join the ranks of the Espoirs group.”
The statement confirms that Itotomi has already made his first appearances in Reims colours after spending several days on trial at the Raymond Kopa Life Center.
He played against Paris Saint-Germain’s Under-19 team before also appearing for Reims Revelations in a fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt. Those performances have led to his inclusion in the Espoirs group, the next stage of his development at the club.
Reims will now monitor the teenager’s progress with the youth team during the loan spell. The arrangement gives the club the opportunity to evaluate him in its system before deciding whether to exercise the option to sign him permanently.
For Itotomi, the move represents his first experience of European football after developing at the Grassrunners academy in Nigeria. Reims said its development framework would provide the environment needed to support his adaptation and continued progress.
The club has therefore secured the defender initially on a temporary basis, while retaining the possibility of a permanent transfer once the one-year loan has ended.
Daniel Martins
