Nwakali: I joined Barnsley to revive my career

Former Golden Eaglets, Kelechi Nwakali, has explained that he decided to join the English Championship side, Barnsley, to revitalise his career, which has been going downwards since he was released by Arsenal about five years ago.

Barnsley Football Club, on Monday, announced that they have signed the Nigerian International midfielder from Portugal’s G.D Chaves for an undisclosed fee subject to visa and international clearance.

The 26-year-old arrives at Oakwell on a three-year deal from the Portuguese side after making 32 appearances in the Primeira Liga, last season.

Nwakali started his career at Arsenal after impressing the Gunners at the 2015 U17 World Cup where he won the Golden Ball award as the best player in the tournament.

After various loan spells across Europe, Nwakali joined La Liga side Huesca, in 2019, and went on to play for Alcorcón and Ponferradina in Spain before joining Chaves in 2023.

“I am very happy to sign for Barnsley Football Club. I spoke to Mladen and the Head Coach Darrell earlier in the summer and I knew that this was an exciting opportunity for me, I know I can bring a lot to the team. I am looking forward to being back in England and making Oakwell my home for the next three years,” he told the club’s website.

The skillful midfield player represented Nigeria at various youth levels before gaining his first full cap in 2022 at the African Cup of Nations. He came off the bench for The Super Eagles in wins against Egypt and Sudan in the group stages before starting the final game against Guinea-Bissau with the Nigerian side running out 2-0 winners.

Speaking on the new acquisition, Barnsley’s Sporting Director, Mladen Sormaz, said, “There is no doubt that Kelechi is a talented player who can offer Darrell something different.”

We knew that the player wanted to return to England and that allowed us to bring him to Oakwell we believe his experience playing in some of Europe’s top leagues will benefit us over the coming years.

“He has had a shortened pre-season and we’ll ease him into first-team action over the coming weeks.”