Kelechi Nwakali will be returning to England, five years after he left Arsenal FC as English Championship Club, Barnsley Football Club announced the signing of the Nigerian footballer on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee from G.D. Chaves.
Though the deal is subject to the small issue of visa and international clearance, it is cheering news for those who saw how the Super talent dazzled at the 2015 U17 FIFA World Cup.
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It is another chance for the player who led Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets to the 2015 World Cup triumph to relaunch his career as the former U17 Most Valuable Player, never hitting the projected height for his career.
He attracted the interest of Arsenal (in 2016) immediately after the U17 FIFA World Cup with his display of an understanding of the game far beyond his age.
But he never got to play for the Gunners as the Premier League club was busy sending him from one loan move to another throughout the 3 years of his contract duration.
SD Huesca signed him from Arsenal after moving From MVV Maastricht to VVV Venlo back to MVV Maastricht then to Porto B, all loan moves between 2016 to 2019.
Nwakali was not able to establish himself in the first team of Huesca as well, apart from the flashes of what he could do in the few La Liga games he played.
This prompted the club to send him on another loan journey, as he joined the lower division Spanish club AD Alcorcon for the rest of the season.
Nwakali was given another chance to top flight when he was invited to the Super Eagles during the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations but he was restricted to limited minutes as the team crashed out in the Round of 16, unexpectedly.
Shortly after the Africa Cup of Nations, SD Huesca terminated his contract sighting indiscipline and failure to return to the club after the Super Eagles dropped out of Africa’s elite competition, though Nwakali told a contrary story of how he was victimised for attending the Africa Cup of Nations against the wish of the club.
Nevertheless, the midfield prodigy moved on with his career and joined SD Ponferradina, another Segunda side in the summer of 2022 did his bit to attract Portuguese Primeira Liga side, Chaves.
His career journey belies his potential and he is running out to reach his full potential.
The move to the English League allows him to impress and take full advantage of the top football environment England provides as the robust England media will beam the searchlight on every one of his moves, hopefully, he will take the full positive renewed chance of fulfilling his dream of playing in the English Premier League and playing to full potential.
Kelechi Nwakali is new to the attracting top clubs in the English Premier League, that’s where he truly belongs with his super talent.
