Bundesliga 2 club Hannover 96 has confirmed the acquisition of SA defender Ime Okon on a free transfer following his recent spell with SuperSport United.
His move comes after his contract with Matsatsantsa expired last month, quashing widespread speculation that he was destined for either Orlando Pirates or Kaizer Chiefs.
The 21-year-old made 24 appearances across all competitions for the Tshwane-based outfit last season, scoring one goal.
His impressive performances for SuperSport earned him a spot in the 2025 Bafana Bafana COSAFA Cup squad, where the team ultimately fell 3-0 to Angola in the final
IME OKON’S FIRST WORDS AS HANNOVER 96 PLAYER
The talented centre-back has voiced his delight about joining Hannover, expressing his pleasure with the move to Germany.
“I’m delighted to be signing with Hannover 96. I’m very excited about this challenge of playing in Germany. I’m really looking forward to the club, wanting to become a better player and mature as a person. I would describe myself as a fast, robust defender—I’ll try to contribute these strengths from now on and help the team,” said Okon upon his unveiling.
“I’ve never been here before, but I have the impression that it’s a truly beautiful country. Last night I ate schnitzel, and it was really delicious.”
Meanwhile, Hannover’s managing director, Marcus Mann, revealed that the club has been monitoring Okon for some time and was pleased with what they had seen.
“Ime is a player with exciting potential and very good physical attributes. Christian Titz and André Kilian have been observing his development for some time,” Mann added.
“We then collected data on him during scouting and evaluated his athletic profile, which is exceptional. It’s quite clear that he will need time to adapt, but he is extremely willing to learn.
“So, we definitely see the potential in him to develop really well. Now we want him to settle in well in Hannover and into our team.”
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