Why I left Arsenal- AFCON-bound Super Eagles midfielder Kelechi Nwakali

Nwakali was one of the best players that came out of Nigeria's Under-17 World Cup squad in 2015, and Arsenal signed him afterwards

Super Eagles midfielder Kelechi Nwakali has revealed that he left English Premier League club Arsenal because he needed a place where he could establish himself, Soccernet.ng reports.

Nwakali was one of the best players that was in Nigeria's 2015 Under-17 World Cup squad. The 25-year-old midfielder made a knack for himself because of his creativity and brilliance on the ball.

After a successful tournament, Premier League giants moved for the Nigerian midfielder. Given the promise he showed at youth level, he was expected to excel at Arsenal, but he could not play for the club and had to leave on different loan deals in Netherland and Portugal.

Following a three-year stint with the Gunners, Nwakali then joined Spanish club Huesca in 2019. The Nigerian midfielder has now revealed his reason for leaving the North Londoners.

“I decided to leave Arsenal after three years because the process of getting my work permit was difficult, so I had to make a move to Spain, where I signed for Huesca. I also needed a place where I could call home and establish myself,” Nwakali told Nigeria Info FM.

Since leaving Arsenal in 2019, Nwakali has had loan stints at Alcorcon and Ponferradina. He left Huesca permanently earlier this year after a row with the club.

The 25-year-old is now at Portuguese club Chaves, where he has made 14 appearances and has three assists to his name.

He made Jose Peseiro's 40-man provisional list for the AFCON, and he has a good shot at making the 27-man final list, given the paucity of creative midfielders in the national team.