THE Super Eagles failed to achieve their target of a fourth continent title at the Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in December and January.
However, the team left Morocco with great credit despite their third-place finish, and this is in large part due to their progress under head coach Eric Chelle.
The former Mali international, 48, who also coached his country, took up the Super Eagles mantle in January 2025 and has overseen a tremendous improvement in Nigeria’s fortunes.
Still, there are speculations regarding Chelle’s future, with talk centering around his contract extension amid reported interest from other African countries.
The Nigeria Football Federation needs to do everything in its power to retain Chelle for Super Eagles, and here are five reasons they should not let him go…
BEST ATTACK IN MOROCCO 2025 AFCON
Under Chelle, the Super Eagles produced a throwback to the days of the golden generation, playing football on the front foot, regardless of the opposition.
In Morocco, the Super Eagles scored 14 goals in seven matches, more any team in the tournament.
Chelle found a way to play his current two best strikers, Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams, together with Ademola Lookman in a free role around them and Alex Iwobi prompting from midfield.
The result of the combination is a team full of goals, and they scored more than any Nigeria squad ever did in a single AFCON edition.
NO OPEN PLAY DEFEAT EVEN AGAINST AFRICAN HEAVYWEIGHTS
Chelle has not only improved the Super Eagles’ attacking play, he has turned the team into a functional unit who are as effective against underdogs as they are against the big dogs.
Prior to his arrival, the Super Eagles dropped valuable points in the World Cup qualifiers to minnows Lesotho and Zimbabwe, and also failed to beat South Africa in Uyo.
In Morocco, Chelle’s Super Eagles took on the weak and the strong, and recorded very good results and creditable performances.
In addition to wins over Tanzania and Uganda, the Super Eagles went up against four North African heavyweights, who all qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and defeated two of them: Tunisia and Algeria.
Against the other two, the Super Eagles lost to one (Morocco) on penalties after full-time and extra-time ended 0-0, and defeated the other one (Egypt) also on penalties.
Indeed, the Super Eagles kept three clean sheets in three of four games against some of Africa’s strongest sides.
TEAM UNITY AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Under Chelle’s guidance, the Super Eagles have become a strong unit on and off the field.
They have presented a united front to the world and quickly repaired relationships even after public friction.
A good example is the public spat between Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman during the AFCON round of 16 fixture against Mozambique.
Despite Osimhen’s over-the-top reaction to not receiving a pass, Lookman repeatedly insisted they were ‘brothers’, and Chelle played down the clash in subsequent interviews.
The heated argument did not appear to have an effect on team relations, as the Super Eagles continued to share videos of their playful interactions at training sessions, in the dressing room and on the team bus.
After the incident, the team continued to perform impressively, indeed producing their best showing in Morocco in the next game, the 2-0 victory over Algeria.
MANAGEMENT OF SUPER EAGLES PAY DISPUTE
In just two months, the Super Eagles have downed tools twice over pay rows, but Chelle has ensured that his team did not get disintegrated.
Both times, first during the World Cup play-offs in November and again in January during AFCON, the Super Eagles were justified in demanding the payment of their entitlements.
There are reports that Chelle is also being owed some of his salaries, but he has remained a calming influence on his players and staff as the rows were quickly resolved.
Instead of taking advantage of the situation to make it about himself, Chelle avoided damaging drama and got his team to focus on their tasks.
CHELLE’S IMPRESSIVE OVERALL RECORD
Taking into account the results since his appointment, it is almost certain that the Super Eagles would have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if Chelle had been in charge of the qualifying campaign from the beginning.
The Super Eagles were dead and buried before his arrival, garnering only three points from three draws in their first four games.
In the six World Cup qualifiers Chelle oversaw, the Super Eagles won four and drew two, acquiring 14 points and making it to the African play-offs, where they lost on penalties to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final.
Overall, Chelle has a better record in competitive matches than the majority of previous Super Eagles head coaches, with his 10 wins and five draws (excluding penalty shootouts).