Bonke Innocent: FC Lorient seal signing of Nigeria player after leaving Malmo FF
French Ligue 1 club FC Lorient have signed midfielder Bonke Innocent for free from Swedish side Malmo FF.
The 25-year-old Nigeria international has been unveiled by Lorient after agreeing to pen a three-and-a-half-year contract.
“FC Lorient is delighted to announce today [Wednesday] the arrival of Bonke Innocent, the Nigerian defensive midfielder from Malmo,” Lorient confirmed on their official club website. “Terem Moffi’s compatriot signed up with Les Merlus until June 2025.”
On sealing the transfer move, Bonke said: “I am delighted to be making a long-term commitment to FC Lorient. Joining the French Ligue 1 is an important step in my career and I am looking forward to the challenge that the leaders of Lorient have offered me.
“The fact of reuniting with Terem Moffi, another Nigerian international, makes me extremely happy. It was revealed to the general public last season and I intend to draw inspiration from it to perform well in my new colours. I can't wait to meet my teammates, the staff and get to work to achieve the goals set by the club.”
Lorient Sporting Director Christophe Le Roux has stated why they signed Bonke: “We are happy to see Bonke joining us during the month of January. He is a player that we have been following for some time now with the recruitment cell.
🆕 Nouveau joueur au FC Lorient.
— FC LORIENT 🐟 (@FCLorient) January 18, 2022
Nous avons dû lui confier la réalisation de sa vidéo 🎥
𝗔 𝗹𝘂𝗶 𝗱𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁 ! pic.twitter.com/JQCT2ukhLX
“He has a large volume of play in midfield and will densify our squad in this sector. He will be complementary with our other midfielders. He is a player who defends while advancing and is very dynamic in recovering the ball.
“His experience at a very high level, in particular through his participation in more than 10 European matches, will be a real contribution to our group.”
Lorient coach Christophe Pelissier also welcomed Bonke to Lorient by saying: “Bonke will bring us a certain defensive balance, especially in midfield, with an athletic dominance.
“He can evolve either as a sentry, in a midfielder with three, or in a midfielder with two defensive midfielders. He is a very applied player in these functions who has good technique in the game under pressure. His maturity, both mentally and technically, will be an asset to our squad.”
Bonke, who made his debut for Nigeria on September 7, 2021, in the 2-1 World Cup qualifier against Cape Verde away, will wear jersey number eight.
At Lorient, he will play alongside Moffi, who has so far managed two goals in the top-flight from 19 appearances.
Bonke will not likely be available on Wednesday when Lorient travel to face Lille in a league fixture at Stade Pierre-Mauroy but could be ready for Saturday’s clash against Brest at Stade Francis-Le Ble.