AFCON 2021 : Former Arsenal midfielder links up with Nigeria squad on Tuesday

Published: January 03, 2022

Allnigeriasoccer.com understands that former Arsenal midfielder Kelechi Nwakali will link up with the Super Eagles squad at their training camp in Abuja on January 4.

The 2015 U17 World Cup-winning captain will board a plane bound for Abuja this night and is due to touch down on Tuesday morning, meaning he is expected to participate in the penultimate workout on Nigerian soil ahead of the national team's departure to Cameroon for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Nwakali was in the SD Huesca side beaten 1-0 by Girona in a Segunda División clash on Sunday evening, going the distance for the fourth consecutive game in the division.

The 23-year-old wasn't named in Nigeria's Africa Cup of Nations squad just to make up the numbers as interim boss Augustine Eguavoen and his assistant Salisu Yusuf are huge admirers of the Diamond Academy product.

Capable of playing as a defensive midfielder, right winger, right midfielder, left winger and even as a support striker, Nwakali's most natural role is playmaker, a position he played many times during his days with the Golden Eaglets, Flying Eagles and Olympic Team.

Nwakali was initially not included on Nigeria's provisional roster for the 2021 AFCON but the Nigerian Federation received the green light from the Confederation of African Football to name him in the finalized squad.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel