Nigerians are almost everywhere around the world in football; playing in a lot of football-loving nations. This year’s AFCON featured a lot of Nigerian talents; some of whom we previously didn’t know existed, or which club they played for. We made a list of some of the best Nigerian talents in the Premier League;
1. Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest)
The 26-year-old striker transferred from Union Berlin to Nottingham Forest in a deal worth £17.5 million in 2022 when the club secured their promotion from the Championship to the Premier League. Awoniyi is as Nigerian as they come as the name clearly shows. He was born and bred in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, and is eligible to play for Nigeria. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see him in action at the just concluded AFCON due to an injury he sustained just before the competition. He has 16 goals and four assists in 44 Premier League appearances for the club.
2. Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest)
England-born Nigerian full-back Ola Aina also plays for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. Ola Aina made three senior appearances for Chelsea between 2015 and 2019. He made his Premier League debut in 2016 when he came on as a substitute for Victor Moses in the 82nd minute in a 3-0 victory over Leicester City. He then went on loan to Hull City and then Italian club Torino. Torino secured a permanent transfer of the fullback for £9 million in 2019. He made his return to the Premier League in 2020 when Torino loaned him to Fulham where he played the 2020/2021 season. He transferred to Nottingham Forest in July 2023 and made his debut for the club in August in a 2-1 loss against Arsenal. Since then, he has made 17 appearances for the club, scored one goal and made one assist.
He had represented England at up to under-20 levels before he declared for Nigeria in 2017. Since then, he’s been a regular in the Nigerian National team. Ola Aina played all the matches in Nigeria’s AFCON 2023 campaign in Ivory Coast where they finished as runners-up.
3. Frank Onyeka (Brentford)
Frank Onyeka who also played a major part of Nigeria’s AFCON 2023 campaign was born in Benin City, Nigeria. He currently plays for Premier League side Brentford FC. He made his debut for the club in 2021 against Arsenal and has since made 65 appearances for the club.
4. Alex Iwobi (Fulham)
Alex Iwobi has been a Premier League regular for a while now; as it is the only league he has played in so far.He recently broke Mikel Obi’s record for most minutes played by a Nigerian in the Premier League. He has played for Arsenal, Everton, and now Fulham. Alex was born in Lagos before moving to England at the age of four. He represented England up till under-18 before he declared for Nigeria in 2015 and has since been a regular in the Nigerian national team.
5. Calvin Bassey (Fulham)
Calvin Bassey plays as a fullback or center-back for Fulham. He was born in Italy but represents Nigeria. Bassey joined Fulham in 2023 from Ajax for a transfer fee of £21 million and has since made 23 premier league appearances for the club. He declared for Nigeria in 2021 when he accepted a call-up for their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Bassey was part of the Nigerian squad that played the recently concluded AFCON.
6. Fred Onyedinma (Luton Town)
Lagos-born Fred Onyedinma currently plays for Luton Town. He joined the PL side for an undisclosed fee in 2021 and has since appeared in three matches for the Premier League side this season.
7. Gabriel Osho (Luton Town)
Gabriel was born in England to Nigerian parents and currently plays as a defender for Luton Town. He joined the club in 2020 while they were still in the Championship league. The team was promoted to the Premier League in 2022. Gabriel Osho has recently just received his first international call-up to play for Nigeria in two friendlies against Ghana and Mali.