From England to Greece: Why Super Eagles star’s transfer is delayed

The Greek summer transfer window will stay open for another few days until September 15

Super Eagles midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo is still keen on quitting Stoke City and moving to Greece to join Super League club Aris Thessaloniki FC.

As earlier reported by Soccernet.ng, Aris are the favourites to land Etebo and end his miserable time at Stoke.

Aris had hoped to unveil the signing of Peter Etebo from Stoke City on Saturday, but it appears a few things are holding up the deal.

The Greek press are reporting that Etebo’s departure is being delayed because the deal “has got tangled up in the bureaucratic gears with the consequence being that he has not yet received his visa”.

Reports also suggest that the death of Queen Elizabeth II may have contributed to the transfer bottlenecks.

According to PressAris, “the transfer was actually supposed to happen yesterday (Saturday), but it seems that due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the suspension of services, there is a delay. A necessary condition for Etebo to complete the move is to successfully pass the medical tests.”

Still, Stoke City, Aris, and Etebo are believed to be working on getting every detail sorted as quickly as possible before the Greek transfer window slams shut on September 15.

How well has Etebo fared at Stoke?

Etebo, in particular, will be keen to end his Stoke City adventure that has been more miss than hit.

The Nigeria international has not played for Stoke since October 2019, having joined the Potters in 2018.

The 26-year-old has spent the subsequent years on loan at Getafe, Galatasaray, and Watford.

Injuries reduced his impact for the Hornets last season, as he featured in only nine Premier League matches.

The former Warri Wolves ace returned to train at Clayton Wood with the under-21s in pre-season, but his time in England is almost done.

Etebo’s contract with Stoke City runs up next summer.