Eric Chelle Eyes Premier League Star Ahead of Nigeria's Showdown With Rwanda, Zimbabwe
- Eric Chelle plans to submit a provisional list to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for the World Cup qualifiers
- The Super Eagles coach is reportedly in touch with a Newcastle star over switching to the Nigerian national team
- Jacob Murphy has represented England at the U18, U19, U20, U21; scoring three goals in all appearances at various international engagements
Eric Chelle is reportedly in contact with former England U19 and U21 star of Nigeria origin ahead of the forthcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Nigeria will face Rwanda away on March 21, before hosting Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later.
Chelle visited key players of the Super Eagles team, including Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, and Moses Simon.
Source: Getty Images
Chelle to convince Murphy before WC qualifiers
The Malian manager has made contact with Newcastle United forward Jacob Murphy who is eligible for the senior national team of Nigeria.
According to Score Nigeria, Chelle made efforts to convince the midfielder to switch allegiance to play for Nigeria.
Murphy has scored five goals in all competitions this season- his most in a single season for Newcastle.
He has made 21 appearances for Newcastle in the 2024/25 English Premier League (EPL) season.
The 29-year-old made his 200 appearances for Newcastle on February 1, 2025.
According to X User @nufcsanjay, Murphy deserves so much respect from Newcastle fans.
"Of course he’s inconsistent - but his work rate, decisiveness, pace over short distances, and ball-striking make him a valuable squad player.
"So often he comes in and delivers. Players like him allow the gems to shine. 8 G+A now".
New Era reports that Murphy has represented England at the U18, U19, U20 and U21 levels.
He scored his third goal for England's U21s when he came on as a substitute to score an overhead bicycle kick and put the U21s through to the semi-finals of the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Can Nigeria break the jinx against Rwanda?
Chelle has reportedly submitted a 31-man shortlist to the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), from which he will extract 23 names for the games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, as per BBC.
Nigeria needs to win both games next month to get their qualifying campaign back on track after a dismal start with three points from the opening four matches.
Uncertainty for Rwanda
Legit.ng earlier reported that Rwanda faces uncertainty ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as they remain without a manager after the departure of Franck Spittler.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have not won a match at that stadium since June 2005, having played three matches there.
With Chelle's arrival, the team aims to secure a victory in their next eight World Cup qualifying matches, ending a seven-game winless streak.
Proofreading by James, Ojo Adakole, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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Source: Legit.ng
