Fulham head coach Marco Silva lamented when he had to part ways with all three of his Nigerian players for the AFCON 2025 tournament, Soccernet.ng reports.
However, the trio have been impactful for the three-time AFCON winners in Morocco, with Alex Iwobi in particular impressing the Super Eagles’ head coach, Eric Chelle.
The former Arsenal midfielder created the two goals in Nigeria’s opener against Tanzania, but even more spectacular is the cutting-edge passing the 29-year-old has put on display.
Against Mozambique, Iwobi didn’t get any assists, but his knife-through-butter passes opened the doors for three of the four goals Nigeria scored.
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Alex Iwobi – Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle lauds Fulham star
Following Nigeria’s 4-0 victory at the Complexe de Fes, Eric Chelle, alongside Bright Osayi-Samuel, took their time out to praise the intelligence of the former Everton midfielder.
“You know, there are some players who can smell the danger on the football pitch. This guy has an IQ, a very big football IQ, ahead of the other players,” the Franco-Malian tactician told Elegbete TV Sports.
“Technically, he’s very good too. Since the AFCON started, we’ve seen that this guy is a very good player and he likes the team.
“The most important thing is that he does it game after game. We have to stay focused, Alex has to stay focused to continue to work, to want to be better than the last game, and that’s the question
“I’m very proud of him, and the team as well,” the 48-year-old concluded.
Nigeria will play Algeria at the Stade de Marrakech in the quarter-final of the AFCON 2025 tournament.