Frank Onyeka: Birmingham City, Coventry join La Liga club in transfer race for Super Eagles star

Championship clubs Birmingham City and Coventry City have emerged as leading contenders to sign Nigeria midfielder Frank Onyeka from Brentford, Soccernet.ng reports.

Interest in the Super Eagles midfield dynamo has skyrocketed following his outstanding performances at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

According to Sky Sports News, Birmingham City and Coventry are keen on the 28-year-old, who has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence on the international stage after a frustrating season of limited opportunities in the Premier League.

The report also claims that Spanish side Valencia are also one of Onyeka's biggest admirers. The struggling La Liga side have already made contact with Brentford, turning Onyeka’s future into one of the more interesting subplots of the January transfer window.

For Onyeka, the contrast between his club and international fortunes could hardly be sharper.

At Brentford, he has managed just six Premier League appearances this season and has yet to start a league match.

Once a regular figure after arriving from Midtjylland in 2021, his role has gradually diminished, following a loan spell at Augsburg last season where he made 30 Bundesliga starts and proved he could still perform consistently at a high level.

Yet in Nigeria colours, Onyeka has looked every inch a key midfielder again. He has featured prominently for the Super Eagles at AFCON 2025, helping them reach the semi-finals before their narrow penalty shoot-out defeat to hosts Morocco.

Nigeria will now face Egypt in the third-place play-off, a repeat of a friendly played in Cairo just before the tournament, which the Eagles lost 2-1. Onyeka is expected to play another important role in that fixture.

His performances have not gone unnoticed. Strong, tireless and tactically disciplined, Onyeka has been a central figure in Eric Chelle’s midfield structure, often operating on the right of a diamond system that has allowed Nigeria to become the tournament’s highest scorers with 14 goals.

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Frank Onyeka reborn at AFCON 2025

More than anything, AFCON 2025 has reminded clubs across Europe what Onyeka brings to a team.

At 6ft tall, he offers physical presence, energy in the press and the ability to cover huge areas of the pitch; qualities that Birmingham City, in particular, are keen to add as they look to reinforce their midfield. The club are already pursuing Girona’s Jhon Solis, but Onyeka fits a similar profile: robust, dynamic and tactically reliable.

Coventry City’s interest also makes sporting sense, with the Sky Blues looking to strengthen their engine room for the long Championship run-in.

But the most intriguing twist is Valencia’s reported approach, which suggests Onyeka’s AFCON form has pushed his name beyond the English second tier and back into the continental spotlight.

Onyeka, though, has a big decision to make after the AFCON. The former FC Midtjylland star must decide whether to remain at Brentford, take a step down to the Championship where regular football is almost guaranteed, or hold out for a move that keeps him in a top-flight league.