The search for a ninth club is underway for the 27-year-old Kelechi Nwakali. And while some may call it misfortune, perhaps it is not entirely about luck.
By Tuka Letura
At the peak of Nigerian football in 2015, one team stood tallest: the men’s U-17 national side. That golden generation not only lifted the FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile but also produced some of the most exciting prospects in world football. Among that group, three players shone brightest: Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, and Kelechi Nwakali, who was ultimately named Player of the Tournament. All three dazzled at that World Cup, but for Nwakali, the captain and heartbeat of the team, it was his vision, creativity, and composure that set him apart.
A decade later, the career paths of those three tell very different stories. Osimhen rose to become one of the most feared strikers in Europe, starring first at LOSC Lille in France before conquering Italy with Napoli, and now continuing his journey in Turkey. Samuel Chukwueze thrilled Spanish fans with his direct running and flair at Villarreal, where he became a Europa League winner, before moving on to AC Milan in Serie A.
But for Kelechi Nwakali, the journey has been less about breakthroughs and more about obstacles, a career shaped not by steady progress but by turbulence, setbacks, and twists that resemble a 110-metre hurdles race.
The midfielder’s struggles began almost as soon as his triumphs ended. Following his stellar performances in Chile, Arsenal secured his signature in August 2016, announcing the then 18-year-old from Diamond Football Academy on a five-year deal. The move was meant to be the opening chapter of a glittering career. Instead, it marked the start of a cycle that has since become painfully familiar for many Nigerian prodigies abroad: endless loans, disrupted progress, and promises that never quite materialised.
His European initiation came at MVV Maastricht in the Dutch Eerste Divisie, where he debuted against Jong Ajax on 16 September 2016, the very day his transfer was confirmed. A year later, he was elevated to the Eredivisie with VVV-Venlo and immediately announced himself by scoring a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser on his debut against FC Groningen. Yet minutes remained scarce, and by January he was back at Maastricht, retracing his steps instead of advancing.
He arrived at Porto on loan in 2018, a club of pedigree, history, and stature. Yet even there, fortune would not smile. He was sent to Porto B, and bureaucratic hurdles compounded the footballing ones. Visa complications stranded him in Nigeria for months, sidelining him at a time when his career was meant to be accelerating. By 2019, he sought another reset, this time in Spain, signing a permanent three-year deal with SD Huesca. His Arsenal journey ended without a single first-team appearance.
Spain provided flashes of hope. In September 2020, following Huesca’s promotion the previous season, he made his long-awaited La Liga debut in a 1–1 draw against Villarreal — finally stepping onto the stage where his U17 exploits suggested he belonged. Yet by January, he was on loan again, this time at AD Alcorcón in the Segunda División.
The following year brought an even harsher reality check. In April 2022, Huesca terminated his contract, and Kelechi Nwakali went public with a damning account: unpaid wages, attempts to block his AFCON participation, and systematic sidelining. It was a glimpse into football’s darker corners.
Still, the midfielder refused to fold. After a stint in Spain’s second division with Ponferradina, he moved to Portugal in 2023, where Chaves handed him a chance in the Primeira Liga.
In May 2024, during a crucial home match against Famalicão, Kelechi Nwakali was spotted on his phone while sitting on the substitutes’ bench. The incident prompted Chaves to open a disciplinary case against him, and the 2–1 defeat that day ultimately sealed the club’s relegation from the top flight.
That summer, the road led him back to England, though not to the glitz of the Premier League he once seemed destined for. Instead, he signed with Barnsley in League One on a three-year deal running until 2027. It was another chance to rebuild, another chance to start afresh in the same country where his European adventure had begun in promise almost a decade earlier.
But even at Barnsley, the noise has not stopped. Recent headlines screamed that the club had sacked him, feeding the perception of a career stuck in crisis. The reality, however, is more measured. Barnsley manager, Conor Hourihane, publicly dismissed the reports, insisting Nwakali remains contracted and part of the squad. “Fired? Not heard anything about that”, he told the BBC, brushing off the speculation as inaccurate. The truth is simple enough: while there may be plans for him to move on, no axe has fallen, and no punishment has been meted out.
Yet again, uncertainty lingers, the one constant in his sinusoidal career. Still, his core pursuit remains unchanged: game time, rhythm, and a place to finally settle. As the summer transfer window edges towards closure, his suitcase is once again half-packed, his future once again hanging in the balance.
The search for a ninth club is underway for the 27-year-old. And while some may call it misfortune, perhaps it is not entirely about luck. If it were only bad luck, then Nwakali has endured it far too often; and if not, then maybe it calls for deeper introspection. After all, lightning is not supposed to strike the same place twice — let alone nine times.
Kelechi Nwakali made 26 appearances for Barnsley last season but faded out of contention towards the campaign’s end. He was not involved with the squad over the course of pre-season.
Tuka Letura is an experienced sports writer with over six years of experience in the craft. He uses data and statistics to provide analysis and commentary. From regional to worldwide competitions, he has covered a wide range of sports-related events and topics. He is devoted to sharing his enthusiasm for sports with his audience and engaging them with interesting anecdotes and viewpoints.