Official : Ex-Chelsea Nigerian Defender Parts Company With English Club Eastleigh

National League club Eastleigh have announced their retained list following the conclusion of the 2017-2018 season.

The Spitfires have held a meeting with former Dream Team VI invitee Ayo Obileye informing him that his contract will not be renewed.

Eastleigh's decision not to reward the central defender with a new deal is surprising as this season was his most impressive since he turned professional, with seven goals from his defensive position in 34 appearances.

''We had to release some players to release some additional funds to bring in new players. We had to look at the average age of the squad and bring that down,'' manager Andy Hessenthaler explained to Eastleigh's official website.

Obileye started off his career with the youth team of Leyton Orient before joining Chelsea Academy, then had stops at Sheffield Wednesday and Dagenham & Redbridge prior to his shift to Eastleigh in 2016.

He models his defensive game after Ledley King and Rio Ferdinand, while his favourite Nigerian defender is Kenneth Omeruo.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel