Sheyi Ojo’s move from Liverpool to Stade de Reims during the last few days of the Ligue 1 transfer window took people by surprise a bit.
While there has been a bit of a swing lately, it’s still rare for a British footballer to try his luck abroad when there’s so much comfort and money in England’s top two tiers.
However, the U21 international decided to give it a go, and he’s now on loan with the newly promoted French side, making his debut just before the international break in a 1-0 loss against Montpellier, coming off the bench for 12 minutes.
With the signature now sealed and the player theirs for the foreseeable future, Stade de Reims have opened up on how they managed to pull off what they see as a nice little coup, via their president Jean-Pierre Caillot.
Speaking to Foot Mercato, he said: “Even if all the lovers of French football know what the club represented in the past, when you’re Liverpool and you’re told Reims are interested in one of your players, you ask yourself if they aren’t crazy people contacting you.
“But when you make the people come here a few times, they see the stadium, how you work, the teams, they start to take you seriously and we can get somewhere, sometimes in the last few days of the transfer window.”
During his time at Liverpool, Ojo has made 13 appearances for the club, scored a goal and picked up three assists, and has also been sent on loans to Wigan, Wolves and Fulham in the Championship to help with his development.
