Former Kenyan striker Dennis Oliech believes Stade de Reims defender Joseph Okumu will be snapped up by top French side Lyon after just two years at his current club.
Okumu signed a five year deal with the French club two weeks ago becoming only the second Kenyan player to feature in Ligue 1 after Dennis Oliech.
“Having signed five years gives him a lot of time to go to an even bigger club. In two years he will have gained enough experience to attract a club like Lyon,” said Oliech.
Oliech also believes playing in the Europa League made all the difference for the Kenyan defender in being spotted by his current club.
“It is obvious that without playing at that level he may not have been seen and probably not signed and so that made a very big difference. The move is a good one for the national team Harambee Stars as this is the only way the team can improve.”
Okumu, while at Belgium side Genk featured in the Europa League quarter-final match against West Ham in April becoming one of the few Kenyans to play against English sides.
The Kenyan defender started his career at the defunct Chemelil Sugar who were featuring in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL).
From Chemelil, he moved to South Africa then had a brief stint in the United States of America (USA) before moving to Sweden.
It was while in Sweden that his potential shone through attracting the interest of Genk where he stayed for two seasons before making his latest move.
Dennis Oliech was the first Kenyan to play in the top French league when he joined FC Nantes in 2005 from Al-Arabi on a Sh.281million transfer fee.
From Nantes, he moved to Auxerre when his former club was relegated to the lower league.
