Heavy blow for Waldhof Mannheim – Seven-goal man moves to the second division

SV Waldhof Mannheim is losing one of the best third division players of the first half of the season. He will now be fighting for promotion to the Bundesliga.

It’s now official: Kennedy Okpala is leaving Waldhof Mannheim and moving to SC Paderborn in the second division. Forecasting had already reported that Okapla would be joining Paderborn. Bitter for Mannheim: In the middle of the promotion battle, SV Waldhof is losing its best player. 18 games, seven goals, three assists – that is Okpala’s current record in the third division. With Waldhof currently having scored 30 goals, everyone can see how valuable the young striker was to coach Luc Holtz’s team.

Despite the bitter departure, there is at least one sweet consolation for the Kurpälzer: according to RS information, SC Paderborn is transferring €550,000 to Baden-Württemberg.

Okpala will now be aiming for promotion to the Bundesliga with SC Paderborn. Currently fourth in the table, Paderborn are level on points with third-placed SV Darmstadt 98.

Points Table

“We are very pleased that Kennedy has chosen us and wants to take the next step in his career at SCP07. He has enormous potential for development, is fast, two-footed and flexible in attack. This makes him a perfect fit for Paderborn,” said Sebastian Lange, sporting director at SC Paderborn.

As a reminder: Last winter in 2025, Okpala decided against a move abroad. Danish first division club Lyngby BK was keen to sign the striker. But, as Buwe fans should also remember, Okpala decided after careful consideration to forego a move to Denmark and take on the relegation battle in the 3rd division with Mannheim.

Okpala also made it into the 3rd division’s first-half forecasting team. He was born on December 17, 2004, in Neustadt an der Weinstraße. He played for TSV Königsbach and VfL Neustadt/Weinstraße in the youth leagues before moving to SV Waldhof Mannheim in 2021.

He also signed his first professional contract there and made his debut on September 17, 2023, in a third division home game against SSV Ulm. Okpala has played a total of 71 third division games (16 goals, six assists).