Many Nigerian stars have had success in the Premier League, but some also failed to live up to expectation
Super Eagles star Brown Ideye has admitted that he did not give his best for West Brom during his time at the club. The Hawthorns paid a then club-record fee of €12.63m to sign Ideye from Dynamo Kyiv in 2014.
A lot was expected from the Nigeria international when he signed for the Baggies, but he was only able to manage seven goals and two assists in 31 appearances for the club.
The 31-year-old spent just one season at The Hawthorns before he was shipped off to Olympiacos for only €5.42m. Speaking on why he struggled at West Brom, Ideye blamed injuries and lack of pre-season for his failure.
“I feel I didn't really give my best at West Brom because I didn't have a good pre-season, injuries and a host of other things,” he said in an Instagram live video.
He spent two successful years with the Red and Whites, scoring 28 times and providing ten assists in 65 games before moving to Tianjin Teda.
However, his time in China mirrored that of his spell at West Brom, scoring just four goals in 15 appearances for the club.
While he blamed injuries and lack of pre-season for his unproductive time in England, Ideye claimed he struggled in China because he could not adapt on time.
“The issue I had in China was that there is this rule that every six months, they had to reshuffle the team and at the time I got to China, it was really difficult for me; the language, the players, not having good food.”
“It took me time to really adjust to the Chinese league, and with all the expectations from the fans and the team.
“The management felt I wasn't good enough or that I couldn't meet the expectations placed on me, they ended up signing a new player in my position, and they asked me to go on loan.”
The former Malaga striker is currently on the books of Aris Saloniki, where he is enjoying success in front of goal again.
