There aren’t many Nigerian footballers playing in the English Premier League currently, but the very few that still do are some of the top players the Premier League has ever witnessed. Players such as Jay Jay Okocha and Peter Odemwigie played in the English Premier League at one point and both left their mark with some outstanding individual performances with the clubs they played for.
Jay Jay Okocha himself is regarded as one of the best Nigerian footballers of all time and that isn’t surprising thanks to his quick feet and ability to run past players like they weren’t even there. Currently though, there are only a few top Nigerian footballers left playing in the Premier League, and these are outlined below.
Kelechi Iheanacho
Kelechi Iheanacho is currently plying his trade with Manchester City and even though he is still young, he has still made a few standout performances for his club this season. He obviously has talent to be able to play alongside Sergio Aguero, and some of his individual goals this season has seen him start a fair few games for club and country.
Obviously playing for a club like Manchester City is going to be a good weekly wage, but for a 20-year-old he is already the highest paid Nigerian in the English Premier League. There is still a lot to come from Kelechi and he does have the potential to leave his mark on the English Premier League as one of the best Nigerian strikers of all time.
John Mikel Obi
John Mikel Obi has been playing English Premier League football for ten years for Chelsea and he is regarded as one of the best defensive midfield players Chelsea has ever had. This isn’t a statement earned lightly, and he has proven on a regular basis what an important player he is on and off the pitch for club and country. He did start his Chelsea career as an attacking midfield player but when Jose Mourinho took over he saw him as more of a defensive midfielder, and he has played in that role since.
Under new manager Conte, John Mikel Obi has had a tough time and hasn’t seen much game time at all, so it could be a fantastic Chelsea career coming to an end for him in the English Premier League, and he is currently linked with a move away to French football club Marseille.
Alex Iwobi
The current Arsenal player is having a good season with multiple goals and assists on the board to help his team mates. He still has a lot to prove at the young age of twenty but he certainly has the potential to leave his mark on the Premier League like some of the other Nigerian greats. He is quick and skilful and it could be a matter of time before he is ahead of Olivier Giroud in the starting lineup.
One thing is for certain with Alex Iwobi, currently he is a great impact player and has done a lot from coming off the bench to help his team win important games. Arsenal are currently suffering in the league, but with players like Iwobi, Arsenal has a player they can rely on when things get tough.
The above three players are of course just a few of the top Nigerians to grace the English Premier League, and you can still look towards players like Victor Moses who is currently at Chelsea, but not seeing a lot of game time. It’s quite obvious Chelsea has had a fair few quality Nigerians play for them, and this season they have a couple of players that could make the difference in their Premier League title hunt, as the Football Premier League Odds would suggest.