The Stade de Reims formalized on Saturday the arrival of Kenyan international defender Joseph Okumu, from La Gantoise (Belgian D1), who signed a five-year contract with the Champagne club. Okumu will leave with his new team for a training camp in Spain on Sunday.
Trained at Chemelil Sugar (Kenyan D1), Okumu evolved to the Free State Stars (South African D1) before crossing the Atlantic to land in the United States in 2018. He then played in two minor clubs, at the semi-professionals of Ann Arbor, then at the Real Monarchs (2nd American division).
In the summer of 2019, the athletic central defender (1.93m) discovered Europe by signing for Elfsborg (1st Swedish division). Two seasons later, Okumu joined La Gantoise, with whom he won the Belgian Cup in 2022, reached the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League in 2023 and qualified for the 2023-2024 edition of the C4. A Kenyan international since 2019, Okumu played three African Cup of Nations matches the same year.
