Why Eric Chelle Wants To Visit Europe for Critical Talks With Osimhen, Lookman and Others

• Newly appointed coach of the Super Eagles Eric Chelle is set to embark on a European working tour
• The 47-year-old tactician is set to hold critical talks with some Super Eagles players including Victor Osimhen
• Chelle, who penned a two-year deal with the NFF, has been mandated to qualify the Super Eagles for the 2026 World Cup

Eric Chelle has kickstarted his role as Super Eagles head coach following his appointment by the Nigeria Football Federation.

The 47-year-old forward was unveiled to the general public by the football federation on Monday where it was disclosed the Malian has penned a two-year contract to manage the Super Eagles.

An NFF statement said that Chelle has been tasked with "the responsibility of guiding the Super Eagles to earn a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals in USA, Mexico, and Canada", BBC reports.

The three-time African champions have started the 2026 World Cup qualifiers poorly, failing to win any of their first four matches after managing three draws and a defeat.

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The Super Eagles are four points behind group leaders Rwanda, South Africa, and Benin and will travel to Kigali to face the table toppers before hosting bottom side Zimbabwe in the next round of matches in March.

Chelle to embark on European tour

Meanwhile, in order to salvage Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World, Eric Chelle is set to embark on a European working tour to visit some of the Super Eagles' top players.

The newly appointed Super Eagles coach’s first stop will be in France, where he will visit Nantes winger and one of the leaders of the national team, Moses Simon, The Guardian reports.

Chelle will then travel to Turkey to meet with Galatasaray striker and 2023 CAF Men’s Player of the Year winner Victor Osimhen who has been in blistering form for his Turkish team.

Further visits outlined for Chelle also include trips to England and Germany where he is most likely to meet with Alex Iwobi, Ola Aina, and Calvin Bassey who have been key players for the Super Eagles in recent years.

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Chelle is anticipated to return to Nigeria by the end of the month, having completed his European trip, and must have finalised his strategies with the Super Eagles players ahead of the resumption of the World Cup qualifiers.

Why NFF appointed Eric Chelle

Chelle's hiring as Super Eagles head coach was the most cost-effective and potentially promising answer for the NFF, which is currently facing financial constraints.

The Malian, who got the role ahead of Antonio Conceicao and Bruno Labbadia, will earn $50,000 monthly, considerably lower than the $70,000 paid to former Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro.

Condition that could get Chelle fired

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that former Nigeria player Sylvanus Okpala has warned Eric Chelle he risks getting sacked as Super Eagles coach if he fails to qualify Nigeria for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The NFF has instructed the 47-year-old manager to ensure Nigeria qualifies for football’s biggest competition next year despite being fifth in Group C, four points behind leaders Rwanda.

Source: Legit.ng