The 52-year-old German played alongside Okocha at Eintracht Frankfurt between 1992 and 1995, and they shared the pitch in 10 matches across all competitions.
Trabzonspor have appointed Thomas Reis, a former teammate of Nigeria football legend Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha, as their new head coach, putting him in charge of Super Eagles pair Paul Onuachu and Chibuike Nwaiwu, as well as Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah.
The Turkish Super Lig outfit confirmed the appointment on Thursday, and Reis takes over from Fatih Tekke, who resigned earlier this month.
The 52-year-old German played alongside Okocha at Eintracht Frankfurt between 1992 and 1995, and they shared the pitch in 10 matches across all competitions.
Okocha went on to become one of Nigeria’s most celebrated footballers, while Reis moved into coaching after retiring.
Reis returns to Turkey after a successful spell with Samsunspor between 2024 and 2026.
He left the club in February and took charge of Bulgarian side PFC Ludogorets Razgrad in July, but that stay was brief.
The change comes at a delicate time for Onuachu, who is trying to regain an important role at Trabzonspor after making his move permanent in 2025 following an initial loan from English Championship side, Southampton.
He was forced off against Genclerbirligi with an injury and was subsequently left out of Eric Chelle’s squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau this month.
Nwaiwu, on the other hand, was included in the squad and will compete for his place under the new coach while hoping to impress with the Super Eagles.
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