Chelsea defender Tosin has no decision to make on international future for now, never spoken to NFF

Allnigeriasoccer.com can exclusively report with certainty that Chelsea central defender Tosin Adarabioyo has no decision to make on his international future for the time being amid speculation at home and abroad that the Nigeria Football Federation are pushing to convince him to switch his allegiance from England to Nigeria ahead of the resumption of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

His celebrated move to Premier League giants Chelsea in the summer transfer window has sparked a fresh debate over his international future.

Born in London, Tosin qualifies to represent the Super Eagles through his Nigerian parents and has played internationally for England's U16, U17, U18 and U19 teams in the past.

Dual-national players from leading European countries have often chosen Nigeria as an alternative option because gaining a spot on those teams has typically been more difficult, something pointed out by John Obi Mikel in a recent podcast.

Tosin has not been directly approached by the Nigerian Federation about joining the Super Eagles, so he logically doesn't have a decision to make as he has never received a call-up.

The central defender has never been in contact with the Federation about switching his allegiance to the Super Eagles.

The fact of the matter is that erstwhile Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro contacted the former Fulham star about playing for Nigeria.

Peseiro mentioned that he plans to talk to Tosin again in the future, but after his departure, no subsequent Super Eagles coaches, including Finidi George, have reached out to the player.

Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, Augustine Eguavoen was in England to watch a Fulham match back in December 2022.

However, it has to be noted that Eguavoen's visit was personal and unrelated to scouting Tosin, and there were no conversations about Tosin playing for Nigeria.

Nigeria Football Federation's scouts are believed to be scouring Europe for a reliable central defender as Leon Balogun (36), William Troost-Ekong (30), Kevin Akpoguma (29), Semi Ajayi (30), and Kenneth Omeruo (30) are not getting any younger in football terms.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Copyright ANS
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from allnigeriasoccer.com