Ex-Super Eagles star questions Akor Adams’ Venezia move

Former Super Eagles defender Sam Sodje has questioned Akor Adams’ decision to leave Sevilla for newly promoted Serie A club Venezia, Soccernet.ng reports.

Adams completed a €16 million move from Sevilla to Venezia in July, with the deal potentially rising to €23 million with add-ons.

The transfer raised eyebrows, particularly because Adams was coming off his most productive season in Spain, having ended the season as Sevilla’s leading goalscorer in the league.

The 26-year-old scored 10 goals and provided three assists in 32 La Liga appearances during the 2025/26 campaign, playing an important role as Sevilla secured their top-flight survival.

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Two of those goals came at a crucial stage of the campaign, including the winner against Espanyol and another decisive strike against Villarreal.

Sam Sodje opines on Akor Adams transfer

While Adams’ decision may appear strange from the outside, Sodje believes there could be more to the transfer than the difference in reputation between Sevilla and Venezia.

Speaking to Footy-Africa, the former Super Eagles defender admitted that he did not completely understand the move but suggested the project presented to Adams may have been compelling.

“With Akor Adams, I don’t fully understand the move to Italy, but it depends on who wanted him and what the project looked like — we don’t know the package involved,” the 47-year-old said.

Sodje pointed to Como as an example of how quickly an Italian club's fortunes can change when ambitious ownership and investment are involved.

“Look at Como in Italy — whoever signed for them years ago wouldn’t have known the budget and direction the club has now.

“So maybe what was sold to Adams was big enough to convince him,” the five-cap Super Eagles star added.

The former Leeds United defender also urged supporters to look beyond a club’s current stature when assessing a player's career decision.

“From a fan’s perspective, we want to see him at bigger clubs, but we never really know what project gets pitched to a player,” Sodje concluded.

Adams could've joined bigger clubs

The question surrounding the transfer is understandable because Adams had just finished his strongest season since arriving in Spain.

Sevilla signed him from Montpellier in January 2025 for around €5.5 million, but injuries and limited playing time disrupted his first four months at the club.

The situation changed in the 2025/26 campaign. Adams became Sevilla’s leading league scorer, and his influence also extended beyond his numbers.

He scored on his debut for the Super Eagles and became a glue in Eric Chelle's team as the Franco-Malian tactician found him worthy of being the perfect partner for Victor Osimhen in Nigeria's attack.

After returning from the AFCON, where Nigeria finished third, Adams helped Sevilla secure points that helped them avoid relegation, and while he wanted to stay to help them push higher up the table, financial troubles forced the record Europa League Champions into a sale.