Eric Chelle begins Olympic rebuild, eyes 25 overseas talents
Nigeria's U-23 national team head coach, Eric Chelle, has reportedly drawn up a 35 man shortlist of foreign based players as preparations gather pace for Nigeria's next Olympic qualification campaign.
The Malian tactician, who also oversees the Nigeria national football team, is determined to build a formidable squad capable of returning the country to the men's football event at the Olympic Games after consecutive qualification failures for the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 editions.
Reports indicate that Chelle has stepped up his scouting mission across both the Nigeria Premier Football League and several European leagues, with a focus on identifying the brightest Nigerian talents eligible for the U23 team.
Among the overseas stars reportedly being monitored are Zadok Yohanna, the exciting winger recently signed by Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., Suleiman Sani of RB Leipzig, and Umar Abubakar, who features for F.C. Famalicão.
The reported watchlist also includes Promise Meliga of Kristiansund BK, Mubarak Suleiman of SK Slavia Prague, Hafiz Umar of Stade de Reims, Emmanuel Michael of LASK, Emmanuel Godwin of FK Pardubice, and Akpe Victory, who plays for Zalaegerszegi TE.
The extensive list highlights the increasing number of young Nigerian footballers making their mark across Europe's major and emerging leagues, spanning England, Germany, Portugal, France, Austria, Norway, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Chelle is expected to blend the most impressive overseas prospects with outstanding performers from the domestic league as he shapes a squad capable of ending Nigeria's Olympic absence.
Nigeria last featured in the men's Olympic football tournament at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where the U23 Eagles claimed a bronze medal. Since then, the team has failed to qualify for both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic football competitions.
Although the Nigeria Football Federation has yet to announce an official squad, the reported shortlist offers a strong indication of the players under close observation as Chelle begins laying the foundation for the country's next Olympic qualification campaign.
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