Ikechi Anya hoping to fire Derby back to the Premier League after eight-year exile in the Championship
The Rams have just one goal in their first seven matches and are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference
LIFE is not great at Derby right now — but that will all change if Ikechi Anya brings his positivity to the club.
The winger, 28, is exactly the kind of glass-half-full character the Rams need in tough times, which these are after just ONE goal in their first seven games.
Anya is one of the few players not to employ an agent and negotiated his move to the iPro himself.
He said: “I had a bad experience when I had an agent and realised his job was one I was doing anyway.
“I’ve always been a fair guy. When it comes to demands I’ve never asked for anything over the top. I’m just privileged to be in the sport.” But how does he know if he is underselling himself if he does not have representation?
He replied: “I don’t compare myself to other people.
“I think that’s when you’re looking for misery in your life — he’s getting this, he’s getting that. People have different needs. I need to make myself happy in life.
“If somebody is earning a lot more or a lot less that’s their concern.”
Anya comes across as a bright guy — and no wonder given his family background.
His mother was a Romanian economist and his father a Nigerian research scientist, while his brother is a doctor.
He said: “My dad was a traditional African man.