No end in sight for Super Eagles star’s contract tussle

Arguably the best player in the Turkish top-flight could be without a club in another few months

Nigerian winger Anthony Nwakaeme has hinted that Trabzonspor are dragging their feet in offering him a new contract even as he enters the last three months of the four-year deal he signed in 2018.

Nwakaeme ended his five-year stay in Israel when he swapped Hapoel Be’er Sheva for Trabzonspor four years ago for around €1.10 million.

But with his contract expiring at the end of the season, Nwakaeme is constantly faced with questions concerning a renewal as he could leave for free in July.

And after a meeting with Trabzonspor’s President Ahmet Ağaoğlu last week to discuss the issue, no concrete agreement appears to have been made.

And Nwakaeme insists he would love to continue at the club while suggesting that the next move lies with his employers.

When asked the latest update on his contract extension, Nwakaeme responded, as per Aspor, “Don’t ask me, ask the president. I am very happy in Trabzon and I want to stay. I hope it will be concluded in the coming days.”

Nwakaeme has enjoyed a fantastic time in Trabzon, notching 39 goals and 37 assists in 132 games for the Turkish side.

The current campaign is turning out to be the best of all, though, with Nwakaeme contributing 16 goals (eight goals and eight assists) in 20 league appearances for the Black Sea Storm.

The Lagos-born winger’s latest contribution came at the weekend as he scored the first two goals in a 4-0 thrashing of Alanyaspor.

His brilliance drew praises from Ghana and Kayserispor’s Bernard Mensah and DR Congo and Besiktas’ Fabrice Nsakala, tagging him the best player in the Turkish Super Lig.

The Black Sea Storms are runaway league leaders, boasting a 14-point gap on second-place Konyaspor.

But Nwakaeme maintains that Trabzonspor are not thinking of taking their foot off the gas any time soon.

“I said we wouldn’t relax in any game; we wouldn’t pretend the game was unimportant. We won’t be comfortable until we get the trophy to our museum,” added the 32-year-old.

Statistically, Nwakaeme has the highest rating (Whoscored) of any player in the Turkish Super Lig, with the Nigerian boasting a score of 7.64.