Ndidi, Osimhen or Onuachu, Who is Nigeria’s Most Valuable Player?

The 2020/2021 season is over, with Euro 2020 currently taking centre stage, but clubs have already started plans ahead of next season.

Although the summer transfer window hasn’t opened officially, some clubs have bolstered their squad by bringing in new additions.

Real Madrid will be without the services of Sergio Ramos from next season, but they’ve already signed David Alaba on a free transfer from Bayern Munich.

Meanwhile, Barcelona have been the busiest club so far, having signed four new players already. The Catalan giants have brought in Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia, and Memphis Depay all on a free transfer, while they also paid €9m for the services of Emerson Royal.

With players already on the move, it promises to be another eventful transfer window. Nigerian players won’t be left out either, especially the attackers, who were brilliant for their respective clubs this season.

Victor Osimhen’s record-breaking from Napoli to Lille was the biggest Nigerian transfer news last summer. It’s unlikely to have a transfer similar to that this summer, but ahead of a busy window, Soccernet ranks the most valuable Nigerian players right now.

While the clubs still have the final say on any potential transfer, we’ve sought the help of transfermarkt for the estimated value of each player.

Maduka Okoye €900k (Sparta Rotterdam)

Maduka Okoye joined Sparta Rotterdam from Fortuna Dusseldorf II on a free transfer last season, and he currently has a market value of €900k.

However, he’s definitely going to cost more than that should he leave the club this summer. In his first season in the top-flight, Okoye was brilliant.

The 21-year-old kept ten clean sheets in 35 games and was named in the Eredivisie team of the season. He has already been linked with a move to Ajax as a replacement for Andre Onana, who could join Arsenal this summer.

It has indeed been a remarkable rise in value for the Nigerian international, given he was valued at €150k just last summer.

William Troost-Ekong €3.00m (Watford) 

William Troost-Ekong helped Watford secure an immediate return to the Premier League, but his market value hasn’t increased.

The Super Eagles vice-captain, who joined Watford from Udinese for free, is currently valued at €3.00m. It’s a surprising one, given Ekong was one of the key players for Watford this season.

The 27-year-old played 32 times and was the main part of a defence that conceded the least number of goals in the Championship.

Oghenekaro Etebo €3.20m (Stoke City)

Etebo is currently at crossroads in his career, with his future unclear. The Nigerian international has had a 54% drop in value.

Formerly on a career-high valuation of €7.00m, Etebo now has a market value of €3.20m. He spent the season on loan at Galatasaray from Stoke City, hoping to regain his form.

While he had some good games, it was not enough to convince the Lions to sign him up permanently. His contract at Stoke expires in 2023, but he’s surplus to requirements, which leaves his future up in the air.

Joe Aribo €3.50m (Rangers)

Joe Aribo helped Rangers win the Scottish Premiership title in just his second year. Still, the Nigerian market value did not increase.

Aribo still retains the €3.50m value- which remains his highest market value. However, it’s unlikely he goes for that amount should Rangers decide to sell.

The 24-year-old joined the Gers from Charlton on a free transfer in 2019, and it does not expire until 2023.

Ahmed Musa €4.00m (Kano Pillars)

Despite going months without playing until he signed temporarily for Kano Pillars, Musa still has a value of €4.00m.

The Super Eagles captain left Al-Nassr in October and was clubless until he signed for Pillars in April. However, despite his inactivity, his value only dropped by €2.00m in the last nine months.

Musa still harbours the hope of playing in Europe, and he would be hoping to secure a move this summer.

Chidozie Awaziem €5.00m (Boavista) 

Chidozie Awaziem spent the season on loan at Boavista from Porto. He impressed enough to make Boavista take up the option to sign him up permanently for €5.00m.

The Nigerian international made 27 league appearances and captained the team on some occasions. His market value is still at €5.00m- although that’s €1.00m short of his highest value.

Semi Ajayi €6.00m (West Brom)

Semi Ajayi suffered the disappointment of relegation with West Brom this season, but that hasn’t affected his market value.

The 27-year-old still retains his highest transfer value of €6.00m, although he has two years left on his contract with the Baggies.

Ajayi was one of the few players that stood out for West Brom in a disappointing season. He made 33 appearances in the league and scored two goals.

The former Arsenal youth star hasn’t been linked with a move, so he’s set to play his football in the Championship next season.

Ola Aina €6.00m (Torino)

Like Semi Ajayi, Ola Aina also had the disappointment of going down with Fulham. Aina spent the season on loan at Craven Cottage from Torino, but he could not prevent Fulham from avoiding the drop.

He returns to Italy this summer, but his future remains uncertain. But if the Italian side decide to sell him, they would likely get at least €6.00m for his services.

The 24-year-old joined Torino from Chelsea for almost €10.00m, but his value has decreased by 40%. However, an improved performance next season could see a rise in his value again.

Henry Onyekuru €7.00m (Monaco) 

Henry Onyekuru situation is also similar to Etebo. The Super Eagles attacker’s value has dropped from a career-high of €13.00m to €7.00m.

Onyekuru spent the second half of the season at Galatasary on loan from Monaco, which was his third spell at the Turkish club.

The 24-year-old hasn’t had the best of times at Monaco, but the move to Galatasary offered him a chance for a fresh start.

Onyekuru did impress in his loan stint with the Lions, scoring five times and registering four assists in 14 league games to help the team qualify for the Champions League.

However, his future is still unclear. Monaco would like to sell him permanently this summer with Olympiacos interested, but the Nigerian is still waiting on Galatasaray.

Zaidu Sanusi €8.00m (Porto)

Zaidu Sanusi joined Porto from Santa Clara for €4.00m, but the 23-year-old’s value has increased by 50%, and he now has a market value of €8.00m.

This is not surprising given his performances for the Dragons. Sanusi settled in quickly at Porto, which was aided by Alex Telles transfer to Manchester United.

The Super Eagles star was one of Porto’s best players in all competitions, especially the Champions League, this season.

He made 41 appearances in all competitions continue and scored two goals from his left-back position. With such consistency, Sanusi’s value will only continue to go upward.

Terem Moffi €10.00m (Lorient) 

Moffi is the latest Super Eagles star after a record-breaking debut season in the French top-flight. The 21-year-old joined Lorient from KV Kortrijk for €8.00m in October- more than a month after Ligue 1 had started.

However, he is now valued at €10.00m after scoring 14 league goals to help Lorient avoid relegation. It’s unlikely he leaves the club this summer, but should a transfer take place, Lorient will definitely get more than his current market value.

Samuel Chukwueze €20.00m (Villarreal)

The 22-year-old is one of Nigeria’s most exciting youngsters, but his value has dropped to €20.00m from €30.00m. However, Villarreal won’t definitely sell for that price, given he has a €100.00m release clause.

Nonetheless, aside from his performances in Europa League this season, which Villarreal won, Chukwueze hasn’t really kicked on from his breakthrough campaign, and that could be the reason for a drop in his value.

Kelechi Iheanacho €20.00m (Leicester City)

Kelechi Iheanacho has struggled since he joined Leicester City, but the former Manchester City man was a man reborn in the just-concluded season, which turned out to be his best campaign yet in the English top-flight.

Iheanacho scored 19 goals and registered seven assists in all competitions for the Foxes, bringing up his value.

Although he’s still yet to reach his highest value of €25.00m, Iheanacho’s value increased by 33% between March and June, with the Nigerian international currently valued at €20.00m

Paul Onuachu €20.00m (Genk)

No Nigerian player has had a higher increase in value than Paul Onuachu, which is not surprising, given the season he’s had.

The former Midtjylland striker’s value has increased from €7.00m to €20.00m in the last nine months. However, he’s likely to go for more than that when Genk sell this summer.

Onuachu is a man in demand after finishing as the top scorer in the Belgian top-flight with 33 goals. His exploits this season earned him three individual awards.

And with his profile on the rise, it’s only fair Genk get as much as they can from his sale.

Alex Iwobi €22.00m (Everton)

Alex Iwobi joined Everton for €30.4m, excluding add-ons, but he has failed to justify the big-money move, which has led to a drop in his value.

The former Arsenal star now has a market value of €22.00m following two seasons of unimpressive performances in the Toffees shirt.

Although he still has three years left on his contract, he could leave the club this summer. However, that depends on the new manager Everton appoint as Carlo Ancelotti’s replacement.

Victor Osimhen €50.00m (Napoli)

Osimhen is Nigeria and Africa’s most expensive player following his €81.3m move from Lille to Napoli last summer.

However, right now, the 22-year-old’s market value is €50.00m following a season blighted by injuries and Covid-19.

Although he had a strong finish to the campaign, scoring seven times in the last 11 league games, he missed more than three months of the campaign due to a shoulder injury and Covid-19.

This led to a drop in his market value, but it doesn’t matter as he is not leaving Napoli anytime soon.

Wilfred Ndidi  €60.00m (Leicester City)

There’s no other Nigerian player more valuable than Wilfred Ndidi right now. The 24-year-old’s profile has been on a continuous rise since he joined Leicester City from Genk for €17.60m.

Right now, he has a market valuation of €60.00m, which makes him the third most valuable player in Africa. Not only that, but the Super Eagles star is also the fifth most valuable defensive midfielder in the world.

He has a contract at the King Power Stadium until 2024, but the Foxes know it’s only a matter of time before a big club comes to make a swoop for him and have identified a potential replacement.

Other Notable Players

Umar Sadiq- €8.00m

Simy Nwankwo- €8.00m

Marcus Abraham- €2.00m