Huddersfield town have announced that they have completed the signing of Borussia Dortmund and Ugandan defender Herbert Bockhorn.
The 24-year-old defender joins Huddersfield for an undisclosed fee which is believed to be around £250,000 (Shs1.15 billion) and has put pen to paper on a two-year deal with an option of extending his contract by a further 12 months should they wish.
Huddersfield were relegated from the English Premier League at the back end of last season and will begin life in back the English Championship against Derby County on Monday August 5, 2019.
Bockhorn, who can play across the back line, both on the right and left full back position plus as a centre half, said he cannot wait to get going at his new club as he believes the relationship he shares with his coach Jan Stewart who he worked with at Dortmund will help him get to terms with the English game.
“I have had a good relationship with Jan since the first day. We know each other well and that’s why I think my move will work,” Bockhorn said.
“The Championship is a heavy league with many matches and the intensity is high, but I know we have nice supporters who will get behind us. I am already looking forward to playing against Derby County in the first match,” he added
Terries Coach Jan Stewart believes that his new acquisition is one who was cut out for the demanding football in England.
“It’s great that we can welcome Herbert to Huddersfield Town. He has some very interesting qualities, his versatility is a real asset so he’s a great player to have in our squad. The move to the Championship is a definite step up for him but I believe he will be a success here”. Stewart said of Bockhorn
And he has taken no time, joining up with the Terries squad on their preseason tour in Austria together with other summer recruits Tommy Elphick (Aston Villa), Reece Brown (Forest Green) and Josh Koroma (Leyton Orient), with ex-West Ham United midfielder Moses Makasi.
Bockhorn was born in Nsambya, Kampala to a German father, Hartwig Bockhorn and a Ugandan mum, Jean Marion Nansubuga. He started his football career at junior side TSV Meldorf in 2000. He was then spotted by Werder Bremen who then signed him to their youth side in 2006.
Bockhorn was later promoted to Bremen’s reserve team in 2014 but did not make any first team appearances, moving to FC Weidenbruck a year later and in 2016 and signed with giants Borussia Dortmund.
It is at Dortmund’s reserve team that he would meet Jan Stewert. The two worked together for two seasons before Stewart left to become head coach at the Terries.
Bockhorn was a surprise inclusion to the Uganda Cranes team by former Cranes coach Sebastien Desabre for the African Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania but he sadly had to pull out of the team after suffering a thigh injury during a Regional Liga game in Germany.
