AFCON 2021 : Eguavoen sends message to Nwakali as ex-Gunner arrives Super Eagles camp

Published: January 04, 2022

Former Arsenal midfielder Kelechi Nwakali is preparing to take part in his first training session with the Super Eagles in Abuja ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The SD Huesca star is already at the Bolton White Hotel following his arrival from Spain on Tuesday morning.

Interim Nigeria boss Augustine Eguavoen is a huge fan of Nwakali and went out of his way to include him in the 28-man finalized squad list for the tournament in Cameroon despite his omission from the provisional roster submitted by erstwhile manager Gernot Rohr.

In his search for a genuine playmaker, Eguavoen added the 2015 U17 World Cup winner to the roster with Rangers star Joe Aribo lacking creativity playing as a deep-lying midfielder and Alex Iwobi not flourishing in that role in recent matches.

The playmaker role could be a simple task for Nwakali - something he has perfected during his time with the Golden Eaglets, Flying Eagles and Olympic Team.

Asked if he is building his midfield around Nwakali, Eguavoen stressed that the SD Huesca ace must work hard before he can stand a chance to break into the Super Eagles starting lineup.

"How can I give you my lineup? He has to come, work hard and see if he earns a starting spot or not," Eguavoen stressed.

2015 U17 World Cup Golden Ball winner Nwakali has yet to make his senior debut for the Super Eagles but played two training games against Atlético de Madrid and Liberia in 2018.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel