NIGERIA'S NEXT GENERATION? PART I

It's one of the easiest things to do if you're a Nigerian. African surnames are very unique in general but even in a nation with over 500 different languages, most people can pick out a Nigerian surname anywhere. No matter the tribe or tonal mark above or below the vowels, such names will always stand out. There's an impressive reel of players who chose to represent other nations spanning across different generations. In the top 5 leagues right now there's David Alaba, Angelo Ogbonna, Eberechi Eze, Dele Alli, Ross Barkley, Fikayo Tomori, Tammy Abraham, Felix Udhokai, Bukayo Saka, Joshua Zirkzee, Folarin Balogun and I could keep going but Google Docs would stop me.

You can't blame them. It's a more attractive proposition. So you can forgive the huge excitement when FIFA are rumoured to clear a new group of players to play for Nigeria who previously had no intention to wear the aesthetically satisfying Nigeria kits. 

There are seven of them but in this part we'll look at 4. 

ADEMOLA LOOKMAN

When Lookman stepped off the bench to make his debut for Everton against Man City in January of 2017 and scored just 4 minutes later it seemed clear he was going going the long line of players that picked England ahead of the Super Eagles. He won't score another goal in the Premier League until October 2020. This time for Fulham on loan from RB Leipzig. There was a loan spell in Leipzig that produced 5 goals and 3 assists but an underwhelming spell when they eventually got him permanently.

A failure? Not at all. Not all career paths go from strength to strength without down points. Lookman is a pacy dribbler with quick feet. He's more of a chance creator from wide areas than a goalscorer. This season in Premier League Lookman has shown that he's taken the next step in his development and become a lot more mature (especially after than failed Pamela). He's a direct threat on the ball always looking to drive with the ball.

Through the Numbers

3 goals from 2.7 from non-penalty xG*. He's converting his chances right? True but only 2.7 npxG from 36 shots tells a lot more. Lookman very often takes shots from positions that are less than ideal. Admittedly, Fulham don't create particularly clear-cut chances. Speaking of creation, the Leipzig loanee leads Fulham's charts for goal creating actions/90 (0.48), key passes/90 (1.59), assists/90 (0.21), xA/90 (0.15) and more for players with at least 900 minutes. In the league he's quite high for successful dribbles per 90. 

This season has been highly successful according to the macro football model. At least in terms of driving play and creating chances. He along with Anguissa are tasked with driving Fulham up the pitch. However his finishing has been less than desirable to put it kindly but he's never been a particularly good finisher. If he improves on that, there's little argument he could develop into a real talent. 

For Nigeria, Lookman would most likely play off the left. Ahmed Musa and Chidera Ejuke are both competent players but he has the ability to see of the competition they'll offer. Will he? We'll see.

CHUKWUNONSO MADUEKE

I'm not sure how this happened. Even though he probably has the most Nigerian name possible on the list, Nonso (or Noni as he's called) is the one England will be most gutted to miss out on. PSV pulled a Sancho by buying him from Tottenham's academy and giving him a chance in their first team. Just like Sancho, he will probably be sold for around ,8 times what they paid eventually. It's not a stretch to say, Noni could have played across Sancho in the 2022 world cup.

People will be less familiar with Noni (For those in Nigeria, PSV and most big Eredivisie games are live on ESPN on both DSTV and Startimes). He has 6 goals and 4 assists with just 6 starts and 14 appearances. Add to that 1 goal and 2 assists in the Europe League. On average it's a goal contribution every 72 minutes. 

Through the Numbers

He might not be primarily a goalscorer but Noni is a really good finisher. His 7 goals have come from an xG of just over 5. His creativity is also. He's progressive on the ball with 5.75 forward passes. Though his assist figures might be slightly inflated as there's a massive overperformance on his 1.85 xA leading to 7 goals. He's also very good at passing over different ranges. 

For Nigeria, Noni will most likely have to compete with Chukwueze for a spot as the left footed right winger. Both are insanely talented but with Chukwueze's development stagnating he should fancy his chances to usurp the spot of maybe as the #10 in Iwobi's place.

TOSIN ADARABIOYO

Defending is fairly easier when you're taller than most professionals in the league. And considering Nigerian would appreciate a centre back right now, Tosin's inclusion is a boost. Since joining Fulham his performances have been quite impressive playing alongside compatriot Ola Aina. Results haven't matched performances entirely but in that back 3 he's at home. 

The macro football model doesn't rate his ability to suppress or prevent opponents from creating chances but it highlights his ability to create xG for his team. 

His clipped long balls are a huge part of his arsenal as well as his ability to defend his own penalty area. With his height and timing of his jump, he regularly finds himself in the right positions to clear balls long. Also, he sometimes carries the ball out of defense before playing nice long passes. 

For Nigeria, Tosin should be starting immediately preferably with West Brom's Sam Ajayi beside him. If there's anything the 4-4 draw with Sierra Leone (4-0 up at half time 🤦🏾‍♂️) emphasized, it's that the Super Eagles will never compete at the higher levels with a centre back partnership of Balogun (Rangers) and Troost-Ekong (Watford). 

JORDAN TORUNARIGHA

All the way from Hertha's academy, Torunarigha debuted aged 19 for the first team. Fast forward 4 years and he's 3 games away from 70 appearances with 80% of those as starts. Hertha have suffered a slump in form recently, changing managers and it had affected the form of all the players. 

Torunarigha is a 6'2 defender with a left foot that is capable of playing nice long balls. For all his strength, he's intelligent positionally, constantly scanning and adjusting his position to preempt attacks. His height helps him in the air but sometimes he can be slow to commit or back off from attackers running at him. He won't step out of his back line to press often either.

 However the most encouraging thing about Torunarigha is he's constantly and slowly shown improvement when given minutes. Particularly defensively. The macro football model agrees with his defensive impact rising consistently. This season has been tough overall with limited appearances and overall poor performance by the entire team which is sad. But the high points of last season suggest his true ability and ceiling are much higher than this season will have you think.

For Nigeria, the fact he's left footed might be tempting in forming a partnership with Adarabioyo. But there a centre backs further along their physical and mental development than him and Hertha's form won't help his case. However, as a reliable backup who could realistically stake his claim for his first team place in coming years, he's perfect.

Before we disappear he's a look at a possible national team XI with these players.

Dreams are really made of stardust...