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Swiss international Okafor move to Leeds heralds new EPL record / Photo: Paul Faith - AFP
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Swiss international Okafor move to Leeds heralds new EPL record
Noah Okafor's reported £18 million ($24 million) fee Leeds United paid AC Milan on Thursday means English Premier League clubs have spent more than the previous record in a single transfer window.
The money spent on the 25-year-old Swiss international, who signed a four-year deal, takes the total outlay by the clubs to £2.37 billion, passing the previous mark of £2.36bn in the summer of 2023.
That total will only grow as there is still over a week to go before the transfer window closes.
Okafor, capped 24 times, made his name at Austrian side RB Salzburg, winning four league titles, before joining Milan and played a minor role in Napoli's Scudetto triumph last term after being sent on loan there.
"As a kid, I dreamed of playing in the Premier League. That's why for me it was quite an easy decision," said Okafor on the club website.
"My football suits the Premier League, this is like a dream come true. I can't wait to step on the field.
"I heard that the Premier League is the best league in the world, it's so intense. I have loads of friends that played there or are playing there.
"I am ready for this new challenge."
Okafor, who is reunited with former Salzburg teammate Brenden Aaronson and fellow Swiss Isaac Schmidt, said he had his breath taken away when Milan played Leeds in a pre-season friendly at Lansdowne Road in Dublin.
"I was like, why are there so many fans in a friendly game?
"And then I saw on the screen it was like 50,000. So I was like, wow.
"And it was quite loud, but I heard in the stadium (Elland Road), the atmosphere should be crazy."
Okafor is Leeds's ninth signing since they won the second tier Championship to return to the Premier League after a two-year hiatus.
They travel to one of the title favourites Arsenal on Saturday on the back of beating Everton 1-0 in their opening match.
The Gunners, who beat Manchester United 1-0 in their season opener, have not lost at home to Premier League newboys since a 1-0 reverse at the hands of Newcastle in November, 2010.
Should Arsenal avoid defeat on Saturday, they would equal the Premier League's longest such run, with Chelsea racking up 43 between 2001 and 2015.
P.Graham--SMC
