Iheanacho and Other Nigerian Players Who Completed Transfers on Deadline Day
- The European winter transfer window closed last night and some Nigerian footballers secured moves
- Kelechi Iheanacho left Sevilla after six months to join EFL Championship side Middlesbrough on loan
- Iheanacho has struggled to adapt in Seville and needed the move away to get his career back on track
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The European winter transfer window closed last night after opening on January 1, even though some countries still have their windows open and can transfer players in and out.
As always, the deadline day was busy with clubs jostling for late minute deals to reinforce their squads and also push out players, some of which were successful while others failed.
Source: Getty Images
Nigerian players in European football were not left out of that up-and-down movement on deadline day, moving to bigger things or getting their careers on track.
Legit.ng looks at five Nigerian players who secured deadline day moves including Kelechi Iheanacho.
Nigerian's deadline day transfers
1. Kelechi Iheanacho
Kelechi Iheanacho has struggled since joining Sevilla as a free agent in the summer after running down his Leicester City contract after seven successful years at the King Power Stadium.
He has failed to adapt in Seville and was the topic of discussion for head coach Garcia Pimienta every week. He left the club yesterday and joined EFL Championship side Middlesbrough on loan until the end of the season in the same league he played with Leicester City last season.
2. Emmanuel Dennis
Dennis was another Nigerian footballer who left a top-flight European league and moved to the second tier of English football, having not featured for the high-flying Nottingham Forest this season.
He moved to the Championship with Blackburn Rovers on loan until the end of the current season, having previously featured in the league with Watford.
3. Victor Udoh
Udoh left Belgian club Royal Antwerp after six months in the first team having joined the club's Academy two years ago. He failed to settle in the team and scored zero goals in 24 games across the first team and the academy.
Premier League relegation battlers Southampton snapped him up on the deadline day and will join the club's U21, becoming the fourth senior Nigerian player in the first team after Joe Aribo, Paul Onuachu and Lesley Ugochukwu.
4. Chuba Akpom
Akpom was born and raised in England by Nigerian parents and seorhced his international allegiance to represent the Super Eagles in 2019 even though he has yet to earn a senior callup.
He joined AFC Ajax in 2023 and has done comparably well at the Dutch giants but has had a dip this season, leading him to leave the club and join French Ligue 1 club Lille on loan until the end of the season.
5. Carney Chukwuemeka
Chukwuemeka has struggled to get minutes under Enzo Maresca this season, similarly to how last season fared under Mauricio Pochettino even though he was injured.
The club are willing to move him on and joined Borussia Dortmund on loan with an option to buy for a figure close to his £40 million release clause.
Akpom cries out over Super Eagles' snub
Legit.ng reported that Chuba Akpom lamented Super Eagles’ snub after failing to earn a call-up since switching his international allegiance from England in 2019.
Akpom played for England at all youth levels and has been overlooked for the Super Eagles despite impressive performances during that period.
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Source: Legit.ng
