Last month, Luton Town were the talk of the footballing world as they managed to secure promotion to the Premier League courtesy of a nerve-racking penalty shootout victory over Coventry City in the Championship playoff final.
The win completed a miraculous turnaround for the Hatters as they were in the fifth tier of English football just nine years ago. But that is now firmly in the rearview mirror, and now the North London outfit has a herculean task ahead of them if they are to preserve their top-flight status.
But manager Rob Edwards has already got to strengthen his squad ahead of the upcoming campaign. He has made out-of-contract Rotherham United winger Chiedozie Ogbene his first signing of the summer transfer window, a move that looks like a shrewd piece of business for both the club and the player.
Throughout the last three years, the former Brentford man has steadily built up a reputation as one of the most exciting attackers in the English football league, and he now finally gets his chance to shine at the top level.
Luton Town are one of the few clubs within the world of professional that are openly against gambling sponsorships and back in 2018, they publicly refused a £500,000 offer from a highly reputable company as their owner said it would make him ‘uncomfortable’. The website would have provided fans with access to trending Bitcoin pokies as well as table game classics, as well as boosting the club’s coffers and strengthening their transfer budget. Instead, however, Town must now be more frugal in the transfer market, and the free transfer of Ogbene is a step in that direction.
But just who is Chiedozie Ogbene? Wonder no more, as here is everything you need to know about the exciting Republic of Ireland international.
Club Career
The 26-year-old winger made his name in the Irish league with the likes of Cork City and Limerick, which earned a move to Brentford and their much-lauded B Team setup.
He would find opportunities hard to come by in West London and it wasn’t until he made the move to League One outfit Rotherham United in the summer of 2019 that he would truly find his footing. Ogbene would impress as the Millers secured promotion in his maiden campaign at the New York Stadium, however, disaster was just around the corner.
In the opening weeks of his second season in South Yorkshire, Ogbene would suffer a season-ending injury. With one of the club’s star men out for the year, The Millers would suffer relegation after conceding a last-minute equalizer on the final day of the season.
They immediately bounced back the following campaign, securing an immediate return to the second tier, and Ogbene would help the club cling to their status by avoiding relegation.
With his contract up this summer, Ogbene was never likely to remain at the club, and he indeed got his move to the Premier League. He will face off against international teammate Michael Obafemi next season who also secured promotion with Burnley and the future for the pair looks very bright indeed.
International Career
The Nigerian-born winger would earn a shock call-up to the Republic of Ireland setup, where has lived since 2005 and has citizenship, in the summer of 2021.
He made history with his one-minute cameo appearance in a friendly against Hungary that summer, becoming the first African-born player to feature for the Boys in Green. And he would immediately become a key player for Stephen Kenny.
He scored his first goal for his adopted country in a 3-0 victory away against Azerbaijan, before turning in a man-of-the-match display in a goalless draw against Portugal. He would then impress once again in a 2-2 draw against Belgium in Dublin, providing an assist and scoring a magical bicycle kick in the process. Over the last 18 months, he has racked up 15 international appearances, and there are plenty more waiting around the corner.
Personal Life
There isn’t too much information available on Ogbene and his personal life. The details of his newly signed contract with Luton Town have not yet been made public and before that, he was thought to be earning a modest £3,000-£5,000 with Rotherham. His net worth is also not public information.
One thing that is public is that he is dating his long-time girlfriend, Sandra Hanratty. Ogbene has posted numerous stories on his Instagram profile of the pair out in public, including a date at Wentworth Country House in Rotherham.
He also posted a picture with his lady following The Millers’ final home game of last season, which saw the club defeat Middlesbrough by a solitary goal to zero and preserve their second-tier status.
When it comes to sponsors, the Luton Town man has numerous. He has shot numerous social media commercials for Intersport Elverys, one of Ireland’s leading authentic sports retailers. He is also a Nike athlete, and the American sportswear giant provides him with top-of-the-range football boots for each game.