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SUPER EAGLES: Joe Aribo’s new club, Southampton has not been a good destination for Nigerians so far

SUPER EAGLES: Joe Aribo’s new club, Southampton has not been a good destination for Nigerians so far

The Nigerian international had one year left on his Rangers contract which enabled the Saints to swoop in with a £6 million fee which will rise to £10 million with add-ons.

That would make him only the third Nigerian player or player of Nigerian descent to represent Southampton in the Premier League era, but who are the other two and how did they fare?

On the 21st of January 2018, Michael Obafemi made history by becoming the first player with Nigerian roots to play for Southampton in the Premier League and the traceable history of English football by extension.

Obafemi came off the bench in a 1-1 draw against Tottenham at 17 years and 199 days old, making him the second-youngest player to feature in the Premier League for Southampton.

The Irish-Nigerian had joined Southampton under 18s from Leyton Orient just over two years before making that debut and he was projected to be a superstar.

Things didn’t work out as planned though, as Obafemi struggled to nail down a regular spot in the team and only managed 39 appearances in four seasons after which he was sold to Swansea for £2m last summer.

22-year-old Michael Oluwadurotimi Obafemi has played four games for the Republic of Ireland so far but his Nigerian roots are undeniable.

Nathan Tella joined Southampton in 2017 from Arsenal and went straight to the under 23s where he played for three years.

The English-Nigerian winger waited until June 2020 to make his senior debut as a substitute in Southampton’s 3–0 win over Norwich City.

The 23-year-old has since become a squad player for the Saints for whom he’s played 41 games in the last two seasons, 21 of those as a starter, returning two goals and five assists.

Nathan Adewale Temitayo Tella was born in England and is eligible for Nigeria as well but is yet to make a decision on his international future.

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