The list of players called up to the senior national team of Nigeria by coach Jose Peseiro has continue to divide opinion among soccer loving Nigerians. He called up 23 players for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers games against Guinea Bissau.
Peseiro’s list had players who are struggling for games at their clubs or some out of form at the moment. The listed is headed by captain of the team Ahmed Musa and it includes Joe Aribo, Wilfred Ndidi, Paul Onuachu, Kenneth Omeruo and Semi Ajayi.
But who should have taken the place of the aforementioned players? OGN editor in chief Mohammed Mowiz picks five players who would have made the list ahead of some of the players listed above.
1. Tella For Musa – While Musa is struggling to get games at Turkish side Sivasspor, Nathan Tella is among the driving force behind Burnley’s record making season in the English Championship. They are on course for promotion and he has contributed 17 goals from 34 games.
The only meaningful reason would have been if his switch of allegiance process from England to Nigeria isn’t completed yet but from what is available to us that is not the case.
2. Akpom For Onuachu – It makes no sense to leave out a 27 year old who has 23 goals in 30 games and for the third month running has been voted the best player in the English Championship. Onuachu who was picked in attack hasn’t really settle down to life in England since his January transfer deadline day move to Southampton. No case of his call up being held up by a switch of allegiance process because he has been cleared to play for Nigeria since 2019.
So why is he not in the team?
3. Ebuehi For Ajayi – For a team that has just one right back in Bright Osayi-Samuel owing to the absence of Ola Aina through suspension. It’s makes no sense that Tyrone Ebuehi who has been in fine form for Empoli this season wasn’t given a look in.
Aside that the Serie A is rated highly that the Turkish league where Osayi-Samuel plays , Ebuehi has also played more games than the 25 year old. So maybe there is even a case of him getting a call up ahead of not just the inactive Semi Ajayi but also Osayi-Samuel.
4. Bonke For Aribo/Ndidi- If dropping Ndidi is hard then that of Aribo should be straight forward. The duo have struggled to get games the past one month but Aribo who has a new coach in Rubén Sellés should have been allowed to stay back and fight for his spot by getting used to the system the new manager.
Innocent Bonke of Ligue 1 side Lorient must be wondering who he offended as for the second straight time he was handed a spot in the provisional list of 34 players but failed to make the cut for the final 23 man list despite his better performance than the players called up in his place.
5. Frederick For Omeruo – One of the revelation for Nigeria at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations has to be Benjamin Fredrick. The best time to have him take the first step towards the senior team would have been this game. Omeruo hasn’t had the best of years at Leganes and only played his first full game in four months last weekend.
When you consider that Calvin Bassey, Semi Ajayi and Kevin Akpoguma are ahead of him in the pecking order, a young defender should have been considered instead.
