Super Eagles midfielder makes EFL debut for Barnsley five years after leaving Arsenal

Super Eagles midfielder Kelechi Nwakali finally made his debut in the English Football League on Saturday, October 26 as Barnsley registered an impressive 2-0 road win against Shrewsbury Town in a League One clash at Montgomery Waters Meadow.

The 2015 Fifa U17 World Cup winner made his first appearance in the third tier of English football five years after his departure from Premier League giants Arsenal.

After winning the Golden Ball at the U17 World Cup, the Gunners pulled off a massive transfer coup by luring Nwakali to the Emirates Stadium, beating a plethora of clubs to his services. 

However, he didn't make a single appearance for the Londoners due to a work permit obstacle and was shipped out on loan to MVV Maastricht and VVV Venlo in the Netherlands and Portuguese setup Porto before ending his association with the English club in 2019.

Nwakali returned to England in the summer transfer window, joining ambitious League One club Barnsley on a three-year deal, but has failed to break into the starting lineup, with fitness issues holding him back after missing pre-season preparations with the Reds.

Barnsley manager Darrell Clarke confirmed in the pre-match press conference that Kelechi Nwakali would be returning to the gameday squad for the trip to Shrewsbury Town, after he was left out of the squad for the home game versus Charlton Athletic.

With the outcome of the game all but decided thanks to goals from Jon Russell and Max Watters, Nwakali was handed his League One debut off the bench, replacing Luca Connell in the first minute of stoppage time.

The Nigeria international managed nine touches and achieved a 71.4 percent pass completion rate in his five minutes on the field. 

Nwakali had a glittering career with Nigeria's youth teams, captaining the Golden Eaglets, Flying Eagles and Olympic national team before he was promoted to the Super Eagles.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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