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Arsenal: Kelechi Nwakali keeps moving on up the food chain
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal may have just let handfuls of youth players leave, but Kelechi Nwakali remains, and he is only getting better with time.
Arsenal are always going to have gobs of young talent worth paying attention to, even after they let a bunch of them leave. Kelechi Nwakali is one of those young talents that we should always be excited about.
Ever since he arrived at the Emirates in 2016 on the eve of being named the best player at the U17 World Cup with Nigeria, there has been a ton of buzz surrounding the young man, and at 20 years old, he is showing us the one thing we absolutely always need to see – progress.
Nwakali has yet to make an appearance for the first team, but in spite of that, he is getting better and better as the years go on and now, he is being rewarded by being sent on loan to Porto, a top-tier club in Portugal that should give Nwakali further progress towards his ultimate goal.
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Nwakali had a lot to say regarding the loan move, not least of all that he’s rather excited about it. Here’s the complete statement he issued Sports Nigeria:
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"I am excited to join the best club in Portugal and I will make my loan from Arsenal count. I have longed to play in a competitive league which this opportunity has given me and I will grab it with both hands."
Last year, Nwalaki split time between the Dutch second tier Jupiler League and the Eredivisie, totaling four goal and an assist in 1400 minutes in the Jupiler League and one goal in just under 300 minutes in the Eredivisie. Not a bad return for the young man.
Moving on to Portugal is a step up, and the fact that it’s Porto solidifies that. There is a lot to be excited about with Nwakali and he is only moving closer and closer to the spotlight that awaits him at Arsenal.
Nwakali has been favorably compared to Yaya Toure, given his ability to do just about everything from any midfield position, though he has played in a central attacking role more often than not in his recent endeavors.
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Keep an eye on his progression with Porto. If all goes right, that could well be his last loan move before he returns to the Emirates for the ultimate prize. And then the next stop is world domination.