2026 WCQ playoffs: Not better than Osimhen, Lookman – Chelle snubs foreign-based players
Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, has explained why he is not keen on bringing in more foreign-based players.
In an interview with Nigerian football legend Dr Segun Odegbami on Eagle7 103.7 FM, Chelle said any new player he brings in, must be better than the likes of Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Samuel Chukwueze.
He said:”It is difficult to add more foreign players to the Super Eagles.
“(We have) players like Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze, Wilfred Ndidi, Victor Osimhen.
“If as a coach you want to add to these players, then whoever is coming must be better than them.
“People send me messages that there’s a player in different countries. But my player is Osimhen who scores three goals per week.
“I still request for their videos and still don’t give an answer, because the reality is that we have the players currently.”
Chelle’s comments come weeks before Nigeria play Gabon in a 2026 World Cup qualifying playoff game in Morocco.
If the three-time African champions win that game, they will then face DR Congo or Cameroon for the slot in the intercontinental playoffs.