North-African Country Battle Nigeria Over Impressive England-Born Wonderkid
- Michael Olise is wanted by at least three countries as the impressive star was born in England to a Nigerian father and a French-Algerian mother
- African heavyweights Nigeria and Algeria are already battling to ensure he switches allegiance over international football
- At club level, Premier League sides Arsenal and Chelsea are also said to be interested in the Reading midfielder
PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
Algeria and Nigeria are in serious tussle over who snaps up of one of the game’s most gifted young talents Michael Akpovie Olise who was born in England, Soccernet reports.
The Reading midfielder is who is of Nigerian descent is battling with the huge decision of which country he will represent at the international level.
Both African countries are now at loggerheads for the youngster who is on the radar of major Premier League clubs, including Arsenal and Chelsea.
Source: Getty Images
At least three countries are also jostling to secure his allegiance at international level.
Born in England to a Nigerian father and a French-Algerian mother, Olise is still eligible to play for any of the other three nations, despite playing in the Toulon tournament with the French youth team in 2019.
The youngster is a long-time target of the Nigeria Football Federation, and he was on the expanded list of players invited for the Super Eagles’ AFCON qualifiers in March, but he did not make the final roster.
Algeria are equally keen on adding the youngster to their national team. And as per Fennec Football, the Algeria FA recently sent representatives to visit Olise in England to convince him to play for the reigning African champions.
Also, Lukas Nmecha who is a Manchester City star currently playing for Belgian club Anderlecht on loan has reportedly emerged as target for Super Eagles of Nigeria who want him to switch allegiance.
At the Under 21 European championship, Lukas Nmecha played for Germany and scored the winning goal in the final against Portugal as well as finishing as top scorer.
The 22-year-old forward was born in Hamburg, but his parents later relocated to England where he started his football career.
He started football at Manchester City's academy and also represented England at the Under 17 championship in 2017.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen must be enjoying his summer break playing street football with a few friends in Lagos.
The 22-year-old donned his Napoli's number jersey while playing on the grassless pitch at an unknown location.
Despite feeling world-class turfs across the world in the 2020-21 campaign, the forward felt comfortable on the surface where he started from.
Some of the pictures shared by Sports Drill on Facebook showed the former Lille forward showing his incredible dribbling and shooting skills.
Source: Legit.ng
