Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro has revealed he wants to convince Atalanta defender Caleb Okoli to switch his international allegiance from Italy to Nigeria.
Okoli, 21, was born in Italy to Nigerian parents. The young centre-back’s stock has risen on the back of a series of impressive performances at the heart of Atalanta’s defense this season. He has appeared in 12 games this season, recording five clean sheets.
Okoli represents the county of his birth at the international level. He was first called up to represent Italy’s U19 side in 2019, and he has also played for the country’s U20 and U21 sides, where he is now.
Peseiro hopes to persuade the promising talent to commit his senior international future to Nigeria’s Super Eagles.
“We want to convince him to play for Nigeria,” Peseiro said of Okoli. “We will try. After this friendly match against Portugal, there will be time to talk to him and to understand his decision. Whether he wants to play with us or not.”
Okoli is an Atalanta teammate of Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman. Peseiro also said he would assign Lookman the job of persuading the former to switch sides. He said:
“I will talk to him [Okoli] through Lookman’s brokerage. I will show him my model, what I think of him, and the project we can have together with Nigeria.”
