“Kelechi is a mile off”- Barnsley boss Clarke reveals reason for Super Eagles star’s lack of game time in League One

Barnsley coach Darrell Clarke has revealed that Super Eagles midfielder Kelechi Nwakali has not played for the club due to his inability to readjust to the English game, Soccernet.ng reports.

Nwakali has had a roller-coaster career. He rose to global reckoning after winning the Golden Ball award at the 2015 under-17 World Cup, the same competition that Victor Osimhen rose from.

Nwakali then sealed a move to English Premier League club Arsenal in 2016. Unfortunately, he did not cut it at the club despite different transfers to MVV Maastricht, VVV Venlo, and Porto B.

Nwakali then joined Spanish club Huesca in 2019. There, he struggled as the club got relegated from La Liga in his first season. Then, he had to join Alcorcon in a six-month loan deal in his second season.

Upon his return to Huesca in his third season, the Super Eagle star started getting minutes, but his relationship with the team broke down midway into the campaign after returning late from the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

Due to the misunderstanding, Nwakali’s contract got terminated, causing him to join fellow Segunda División side Ponferradina in the summer of 2022.

Last season, the Nigerian midfielder moved to Portuguese club Chaves on a one-year deal, but the contract was not renewed at the end of the season. At the beginning of the current season, Nwakali sealed a transfer to Barnsley.

When he sealed the move, he was expected to slot into the team seamlessly, as Barnsley are in the third division of English football. However, it has not turned out that way, as Nwakali has not played a minute for the club this season.

Speaking on the reason for his lack of game time, Barnsley coach Clarke has revealed that Nwakali has yet to reach the levels he expects.

“Kelechi is a mile off. He needs to do what I’ve told him to do. He needs to get fitter, more high-speed distance running,” Clarke said, per The Yorkshire Post.

“But he’s adapting to the English game again. We will keep working with him.”

If Nwakali wants to move to a bigger club soon, he has to start getting minutes at Barnsley. The 26-year-old midfielder penned a three-year deal; if he does not succeed, he would have to join a smaller club.