With ten goals and six assists in 22 appearances for KAS Eupen in Belgium this season, it’s fair to say Henry Onyekuru is enjoying himself and allowed to dream of bigger things.
At 19 years of age, having only transferred to Eupen in 2015 from ASPIRE Senegal alongside Eric Ocansey, the young Nigerian already has his eyes on the Premier League.
Not only that, but he has made it clear he wants to play for Arsenal one day, having been a fan of Arsène Wenger’s team since the days of Thierry Henry, whom he grew up watching as a young boy in Nigeria.
Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad, the left-winger revealed he bases his entire game around the Arsenal legend, studying old videos of the striker to improve himself.
He said: “Football was my relaxation after school. With my friends, we watched the Premier League every weekend. I’m a huge Arsenal fan, Thierry Henry is my idol. Now I’m a professional footballer, I try to copy him as much as possible.
“I look back to the games I saw as a boy, but I also regularly watch videos on YouTube to see how he did certain things.”
The youngster, who made it clear he isn’t looking to leave his current club in January despite scouts from all over Europe coming to watch him, said he also draws inspiration from Genk’s Wilfred Ndidi, rumoured to be close to a move to Leicester, a player he knows very well.
He explained: “I believe I have the level to one day play in the Champions League. I look at what happened to Wilfred Ndidi. We come from the same region in Nigeria and meet up regularly. His transfer to Leicester is an example for me.
“The Premier League is my dream league, although I would rather go to Arsenal.”
With huge ambitions, the confidence to go with it, and a lot of time on his side, who knows if Henry Onyekuru will ever achieve his dream, but if he does, you’ll now be aware that when he tells the press the move ‘was a childhood dream’, he’ll be telling the truth.
