Three Nigerian Teenagers Handed Jersey Numbers By Southampton For Premier League

Published: September 05, 2018

Three Nigerian teenagers have been handed jersey numbers by Southampton for Premier League games this season.

The Premier League has published on its official website the numbers the players at each club will wear on the back of their shirts this season and it cannot be changed until June 2019.

Republic of Ireland youth-teamers Michael Obafemi and Jonathan Afolabi will play with the number 61 and 59 shirts respectively if they feature in the English topflight, while ex-Arsenal schoolboy Nathan Tella will suit up with the number 64.

Of the aforementioned players, only Obafemi has debuted for the first team of the Saints in the Premier League and that was back in the 2017-18 campaign when he made his professional debut against Tottenham Hotspur in January 2018.

The Dublin-born striker played for the youth teams of Chelsea, Arsenal, Watford and Leyton Orient prior to his switch to Southampton in 2016.

Winger Nathan Tella is eligible to represent Nigeria and England internationally but has not been capped by the two nations.

Igho Kingsley