What Does John Ogu’s Latest Move Mean For His Career?

The Nigeria international signed for Saudi Professional League side Aladallah FC after going six months without playing club football.

After spending four years with Hapoel Beer Sheva, Ogu left the Israeli side with the hope of finding a new club, but it turned out he will wait for six months before getting a club.

Staying without a club for six months has been hard on Ogu who admitted it was tough for him watching others play on television.

“It’s been a long, tough and crazy six months, but I want to quickly put it all behind me by getting involved with Al-Adalah immediately,” Ogu told BBC Sport

“To watch others actively playing on television at the start of the season was tough and now I have a lot of catching up to do personally on the football pitch.

However, while it may be a relief for Ogu to finally get a new club, his latest move probably signals the end of his international career.

Although he has not retired from the National team, Ogu’s last appearance for the Super Eagles was at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

He has found himself absent in subsequent games due to his lack of game time at club level. But even with him signing a new club, his time in the Super Eagles appears to be over.

The former Coimbra midfielder did not only sign for a club in Saudi Arabia but one languishing in the relegation zone. This does not bode well for a player trying to regain his place in a squad that’s blessed as the Super Eagles.

The Super Eagles are well stocked in the midfield with the likes of Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, Joe Aribo, Ogenekaro Etebo and Ramon Azeez all jostling for a place in the middle of the park.

There are also reports that the Super Eagles are trying to convince the likes of Ovie Ejaria and Ebere Eze to switch international allegiance. 

Should they commit their international futures to Nigeria, it means the competition for places in Super Eagles midfield gets stiffer.

And there’s no way Ogu who plays in a mediocre league will be selected ahead of guys who don’t only play in top leagues across Europe but also feature regularly.

Although one could say Ahmed Musa also plays in the Saudi Professional League and still gets an invitation to the Super Eagles squad. However, Musa has a much bigger influence in the National team with him being the captain, while he also plays for Al Nassr who are the current champions of Saudi Professional League.

But despite this, Musa has lost his place in the starting line up to youngsters like Samuel Kalu and Samuel Chukwueze, It shows the manager will always choose players playing in Europe’s top leagues irrespective of what the likes of Ogu and Musa have done for the team.

Also with Ogu 31 years of age, it’s hard to see him displace the young talents in the Super Eagles squad. Since making his debut against Kenya in 2013, Ogu has been a wonderful servant to the country, but he may not get the chance to add to his 22 caps again because the National team is not a place to reward mediocrity.