Chelle reveals the backstory behind the invitation of Fredrick and Olusegun to Super Eagles

Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has shed light on how Brentford loanee Benjamin Fredrick and Krasnodar-owned winger were handed call-ups for a Nigeria training camp during the summer.

Fredrick received an invitation to train with the Super Eagles ahead of the Unity Cup showpiece against Jamaica in London, following an impressive season that saw him named Brentford's U21 Players' Player of the Season.

Former Golden Eaglets star Olusegun was drafted into the squad for the friendly against Russia after several players originally selected were forced to withdraw.

Their call-ups were not to make up the numbers as Fredrick earned his full debut in the victory over Jamaica, while Olusegun featured for the final fifteen minutes of the draw with Russia.

The Unity Cup posed a particular logistical challenge as it fell outside a Fifa international window, meaning clubs were under no obligation to release their players for national duty.

Chelle admitted that Fredrick was recommended to him by the president of the Nigeria Football Federation.

"The Unity Cup was not a Fifa window, so clubs didn't want to release players. This is teamwork because you have the NFF, now I'm the coach of the Super Eagles," Chelle said on Eagle7 103.7 Sports FM, Abeokuta.

"I receive a lot of messages about players, so sometimes I watch the players that people send to me and I do my analysis.

"The technical staff review about 500 Nigerian players around the world. We follow 80 players every week.

"During the Unity Cup, the president of the NFF told me he knew there were problems with player availability, and he mentioned a player at Brentford, Benjamin Fredrick.

"I told him I knew about him. He said Fredrick was here, so we brought him into the training session and he was so good. It looked like he had been part of the team for three years."

Chelle praised the young defender's professionalism and versatility, noting that the former Flying Eagles star quickly adapted to the Super Eagles environment.

"He was a little nervous in his first week, but he's ready. He's always the first at appointments in camp, he listens, and he does what you ask. 

"He can play centre-back or right-back because he plays at right club level in Dender."

Olusegun's display in the recent World Cup qualifier against the Cheetahs drew plaudits from Super Eagles legend Segun Odegbami, who likened his style to that of former Nigeria international Tijani Babangida.

"For Olusegun, it was the same. When we were to play Russia, we had problems with players, so Olusegun was here at the best moment and in the right place because he plays in Russia," Chelle said.

"Like I did for Benjamin, I put Olusegun in my team after watching two or three of his games. 

"His training sessions were good too. I gave him minutes, and he did well, the same as he did against Benin. So now he’s in the team, and we’ll see what happens."

Apart from Olusegun and Fredrick, Chelle has also handed debuts to Igoh Ogbu, Tolu Arokodare, Christantus Uche, Felix Agu and Akor Adams.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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