Young Nigerian Footballers In The EPL

The Big 4 have dominated Nigerian Television for many years now. In Nigeria, where the English Premier League is the most popular football league, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool seem to be the favourites.

Many people spend countless hours choosing to place a bet on the team they believe will achieve the greatest success. 

As a result of the EPL being watched for such a large portion of the time spent following football, it has influenced some great talent from Nigeria to rise up and join the ranks. 

Frank Onyeka (23) for Brentford 

Frank Onyeka started his time at Brentford with a bang, as he scored in a match against Valencia, which they won 2-1.

Although Onyeka doesn't only perform well in friendly games, he truly showcased his strong defending talent in the 2019/2020 season as a powerful box-to-box midfielder in the Championship League. The transfer market values Frank Onyeka at $5 million.  

Eberechi Eze (23) of Crystal Palace 

Eberechi Eze is another midfielder with great talent. So much so that his boss, Amaju Pinnick, is keeping a close eye on him.

Unfortunately, he has been injured since the end of last season, and there is no indication of when this great player will return to the field or even continue training. But still, his value and potential are clearly evident. The transfer market values Eberechi Eze at $25 million.  

Alex Iwobi (25) for Everton 

After using Gunner soil to nourish his roots, this young man is now at a make-or-break point in his career. If this season goes well, rumour has it that Everton wants to continue their contract.

However, if Everton isn't sold on the future of greatness, it might be a very short career. Or the start of becoming a professional bench warmer. 

Last season, sceptics claimed he made no difference in the outcomes of the games with the shot accuracy some players might scoff at.

If Alex Iwobi wants to remain on the field, there will be a lot of work in the future to ensure that his shot accuracy improves from the current 20%. The transfer market valued Alex Iwobi at $26 million.  

Wilfred Ndidi (24) of Leicester City 

Many players become more and more flashy as they climb the ladder of success. This is not the case with Wilfred Ndidi. The amount of humility he displays intimidates the opposition. Over the past three transfer windows, many have claimed that Wilfred Ndidi has been one of the big four.

This is quite evident as soon as one witnesses this humble giant at play. He was at the heart of the Foxes' defence, with an impressive 96 tackles in only 26 appearances.

He himself scored a goal and shared the glory with four of his teammates. The transfer market values him at $70 million. 

Nathan Tella (22) of Southampton 

After a slow start, this 22-year-old all-rounder has started to get more traction towards the end of the season as he also gets an eye from Pinnick. As a winger, deep midfielder, and sticker in 18 games, he has one goal and provided one assist.

This young player still has a lot of places to grow and mature, but his roots seem to be attaching quite nicely. Nathan Tella is sure to have a long and fruitful year ahead of him. Although, currently, it seems he is still in the training and discovery phase. The transfer market values him at $2.3 million. 

Oghenekaro Etebo (25) for Watford 

At first, it seemed that Etebo had ruined his career. The first opportunity he got to play with the big boys, he lost. It seemed as if Etebo was unable to handle the pressure that the big stage had provided.

That was until the Rio Olympics, where he almost single-handedly carved out the way for Nigeria. Since then, major clubs such as Stoke City appear to be competing for this player's services. This young player still has a lot to prove, but luckily, he now has a foot in the door.  

Oftentimes, countries that are looked down upon have the greatest potential locked up inside of them. With stars that learned to play with anything they could find, the drive and determination, despite the odds, is what allowed them to reach their goal and become some of the greatest players.