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ENGLISH Premier league giants Arsenal have sold Nigerian midfielder and former Golden Eaglets skipper Kelechi Nwakali to Spanish second division side Huesca in a deal involving a three-year contract.
Nwakali, 21, captained Nigeria when the Golden Eaglets won the U-17 World Cup in 2015 and was subsequently signed by Arsenal, who spotted his talent and then loaned him out. However, since then, his career appears to have stalled as was unable to command a starting place at Dutch side Venlo where he was sent on loan and equally struggled to nail down a spot at Portuguese clubside Porto.
After spending the last two seasons in Holland, Nwakali had been keen to come to England but is unable to play in the Premiership due to work permit issues, which can only be resolved when he gets Super Eagles caps under his belt. His lack of club action has prevented him from seeing action with the Super Eagles though but hopefully, this move may re-ignite his career.
An Arsenal spokesman said: “Kelechi Nwakali has joined Spanish Segunda Division side SD Huesca on a permanent deal, we will like to wish Kelechi all the best for the future. The deal is subject to the completion of regulatory processes.”
At the 2015 U17 World Cup, Nwakali, a box-to-box midfielder, won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. His immense talent is widely recognised as what Nigeria is lacking in its midfield and Nwakali is seen as the ideal replacement for skipper Mikel Obi who recently retired from international football.
