With the African Cup of Nations approaching midway through next season, plenty of young Nigerian talents have the opportunity to break into José Peseiro’s plans ahead of the established talent already in the Super Eagles squad. Here are five names who we’ve identified as potential stars to watch for the upcoming season.
Gift Orban
KAA Gent’s Gift Orban exploded onto the scene last season, scoring 20 goals in 22 games in all competitions after joining in the January transfer window.
With electric pace, great link-up play and supreme finishing ability, if Orban keeps up his form from the 2022/23 season he will definitely be challenging for a place in the national team squad.
Plenty of top teams have been following his progress in recent months, with Manchester United linked heavily with the centre forward.
Victor Boniface
Another young Nigerian centre forward making a impact in the Belgian league is Victor Boniface. Tall, with pace to burn and excellent positional play, he finished with the Europa League golden boot this season in a year where he hit 34 goals and assists in 55 games.
Boniface’s playing style is extremely similar to that of Nigeria’s star man Victor Osimhen; he can come short, go long and even act as a playmaker in wide areas when he isn’t getting on the end of chances in the box.
Linked with Eintracht Frankfurt and AC Milan this window, if Boniface makes a move to a European top five league and shines, he will definitely be one to watch next year.
Raphael Onyedika
An all-round midfielder with great potential, Raphael Onyedika is another Nigerian who has excelled in Belgium over the last year. Usually playing in the holding role, he has exceptional defensive qualities and is very comfortable when in possession.
Having attracted interest from AC Milan last summer, if Onyedika performs in Europe for Club Brugge this season he will certainly be near the top of many big teams’ shopping lists in the coming years.
Moses Usor
A left-footed right winger in the mould of Super Eagles star Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Usor has appeared as another player in the long list of Nigerian attacking talent.
With pace to burn, excellent movement in behind the defence and a powerful left foot, Usor has performed well whenever needed for Slavia Prague in the Czech Republic and at only 21 years of age has a lot of room to improve.
Igoh Ogbu
After excelling in Norway, Ogbu earned himself a move to Slavia Prague where he has shown his quality as a typical modern day centre back.
Fast, strong, and with an eye for a pass, Ogbu can contribute at both ends of the pitch- whether he is making last-gasp tackles or scoring in the opposition’s net.
Who are the other Nigerian youngsters you can see making an impact this season?
