The forward was gracious to grant an interview and he spoke about his move to Azerbaijan, what he hopes to achieve with the Azerbaijan Premier League side Sabah FC.

Joy-Lance Mickels who has previously played for German top sides including Borussia Mönchengladbach and Schalke 04, and MVV Maastricht of Netherlands agreed to a two-year deal with Sabah FC this summer.

Here is an excerpt of the interview:

Offsideplus: What was your first impression when you were offered a deal to come to Azerbaijan?

Joy-Lance Mickels: I had a good feeling about it, but when I arrived I was surprised that the city looks so good and beautiful. Baku is now one of my favourite cities. I am very happy to be here. I have a two-year contract which means I will be here for two years. I hope everything goes well.

Offsideplus: How were you received by your new teammates and the staff of Sabah?

Joy-Lance Mickels: It was very friendly. All the guys were very nice to me and they made it easy for me to be in the squad. I am very thankful for this.

Offsideplus: The team went on a training trip in Georgia. How was it?

Joy-Lance Mickels: Georgia was very nice, but I was not satisfied with what I saw in some parts of the country. Our training camp, training condition, and hotel accommodation were very good. We had training sessions and played some friendly games. I was impressed that our team was playing very well. With this, I am looking forward to a good season.

Offsideplus: You stated that you have a two-year contract with Sabah. What is your objective, what do you hope to achieve with Sabah in these two years in Azerbaijan.?

Joy-Lance Mickels: The main target is to secure a European place for next year. That is also what the coach told us and that is what the president of the club wants. I hope to help the team achieve this goal and personally, I want to score a lot of goals. As many goals as possible.

Offsideplus: Do you think the Azerbaijan Premier League will help you to showcase yourself in the European standard?

Joy-Lance Mickels: Yes. I think so, but the quality is very different from the Netherlands or Germany where I have previously played. However, I have heard about teams like Qarabag, Neftchi and I am very excited to play against them.

Offsideplus: Are you satisfied with the facilities in Sabah FC?

Joy-Lance Mickels: before I came, I was wondering how good the training condition in Sabah is because in MVV Maastricht we had artificial turfs. But here in Sabah FC, it is grass and I believe that grass is the best and it enables one to play good football. The grass looks very good. The only problem is that the weather is quite hot for me, but then I have to adapt quickly and I think I will do it.

Offsideplus: About adaptation: the food, the culture, and a new language. How do you hope to cope?

Joy-Lance Mickels: Actually, I am still trying. But I have my girlfriend here and she has been helping me for two weeks. She will be going back soon and come back once in a while. Although a lot of people do not speak English, they still try to be helpful and I feel good about this.

Offsideplus: Do you have any message for the fans of Sabah FC?

Joy-Lance Mickels: I hope to see many supporters come back to the stadium because football is a supporters’ sport and we need the supporters. This is very important because we need their support, especially during home games. I hope to see them at the stadium.