James Okwuosa adds beef to Ajax

AJAX Cape Town have tied up a deal with Nigeria defender James Okwuosa, who has been on trial at the club over the past fortnight.

The central defender returns home to Nigeria today to complete the formality of his move and await his work permit, and will likely play a final game for his club Enugu Rangers at the weekend, said Ajax chief executive officer George Comitis.

The deal is only the third in the market this pre-season for Ajax, who had a disappointing finish outside of the top eight last season.

Okwuosa is a muscular and imposing centre-back, who was captain of his club in the Nigerian premier league this season as they rose to the top of the standings. But they lost twice since he arrived in Cape Town for trials, including a cameo appearance against Manchester United.

Nigerian reports claimed that Okwuosa left Rangers without permission but few players in the west African country have contracts with their clubs and therefore can move without a transfer fee if they so desire.

Ajax, who also have a Brazilian striker on trial, have signed Bafana Bafana forward Bradley Grobler and the Dutch midfielder, Koen van de Laak.