German-Born Defender Appeals to Eric Chelle for Another Super Eagles Chance
- Eric Chelle is set to announce his first Super Eagles squad after becoming the new manager last month
- Chelle’s first two games in charge are the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe
- The former Mali head coach has received an appeal from a one-cap Nigeria star to feature in the squad
Eric Chelle is getting a lot of public appeals ahead of announcing his first squad, and one has come from a foreign-born defender who has one cap for the Nigerian national team in 2023.
The Nigerian Football Federation have been making efforts for years now to get foreign-born players and dual nationals to switch their international allegiance and play for Nigeria.
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The federation achieved success with some, while others declined, and among those who accepted, there have been some top stars of the national team among them.
Reigning African Footballer of the Year Ademola Lookman, Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong and former Arsenal Academy graduate Alex Iwobi are regulars in the team.
However, it has not been the same fate for most of those who switched their international allegiance, as some are yet to earn a call-up, while some others have been abandoned after a few games.
German star sends message to Chelle
Eric Chelle is preparing to announce his first Super Eagles squad ahead of his first games in charge during the March international FIFA window.
There has been a lot of media speculation over who would be named and who would miss out on the squad, and amidst it all, a player has sent a public appeal to the manager.
According to OwnGoal Nigeria, Gent defender Jordan Torunarigha has publicly appealed to Chelle to be given another chance in the Super Eagles.
“When you play regularly, a national team call-up is usually at the back of your mind, and it’s the same for Jordan going into the next international break. He is really itching for another chance to cement his spot in the team”, his representative told OwnGoal Nigeria.
The Belgium-based defender represented Germany at all youth levels before deciding to switch his international allegiance and play for Nigeria in 2023 after rejecting Gernot Rohr’s approach in 2018.
As noted by Transfermarkt, he has earned three call-ups and earned one cap, playing 75 minutes in the friendly match against Mozambique on October 16, 2023 which Nigerian won 3-2.
He came through the ranks of German club Hertha Berlin and featured for the national team before moving to Belgium with Gent, having initially spent a season on loan there.
The 27-year-old has featured 29 times for Gent in all competitions this season, helping the team keep 11 clean sheets, picking up eight yellow cards and one red card.
Akpoguma laments Super Eagles' snub
Legit.ng previously reported that Germany-born defender Kevin Akpoguma lamented Super Eagles snub after not earning a call-up to the national team since 2023.
The Hoffenheim defender turned down several opportunities from the NFF in the hopes of a senior Germany call-up before accepting to play for Nigeria, and after eight games, he has been abandoned.
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Source: Legit.ng
