Hard times!

•Eagles struggling to make impact at European clubs

While several players have been churning top-draw performances at their various clubs since the start of the 2024/25 Europe’s major leagues, some Super Eagles players have yet to make any lasting impressions, with just a few days to the second international break of the season. PUNCH Sports Extra profiles the following notable underperformers.

Kelechi Iheanacho (Sevilla)

Top of the list is former Leicester City forward, Iheanacho, who joined Sevilla on a free transfer after his contract with the Premier League side expired in June.
The 27-year-old missed most of the Rojiblancos pre-season games, having arrived at the club towards the end of the transfer window. He has started three of five league appearances for the Spanish side and is missing out on three with just one shot on target.

However, Sevilla coach Garcia Pimienta continues to keep faith in the former Manchester City player, handing him three starts despite being off form.

It behoves Iheanacho to start repaying the coach’s confidence in him by putting the ball in the back of the net before he loses his position in the team.
Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest)

Awoniyi, formerly of Liverpool, is another Eagles player who has struggled for form this season.

Once guaranteed a starting spot in the Forest squad if fit and available to play, the 27-year-old is now deemed surplus to requirement, having dropped in the striking pecking order, with Chris Wood, Jota Silva, Anthony Elanga, and Eric da Silva Moreira way ahead of him.

Awoniyi has made the squad on six occasions, starting once and coming on as a substitute three times.

This is in sharp contrast with his first season with the club, in which he ended as Forest’s second-top scorer with nine goals despite being pecked back by injuries.

The former Union Berlin striker is still looking for his first goal for the club this term.

Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan)
Since moving to Milan from Villarreal, where he was considered a king, fortune has not smiled on Chukwueze, who has been tossed to the fringes in his second season at the San Siro.

The FIFA U-17 World Cup winner registered 13 goals and 11 assists in 52 appearances for Villarreal in the 2022/23 season before he joined Milan during the 2023 summer transfer window for a deal worth €20m plus some substantial bonuses, making him the most expensive signing for the Rossoneri.

The 25-year-old experienced a very difficult debut season with only six goal contributions (three goals and three assists), and his struggles remain unabated.

Chukwueze has made seven appearances across all competitions for Milan this term and has neither scored nor assisted a goal.

Last weekend, Milan manager Paulo Fonseca said the Nigerian would be allowed to leave during the January transfer window, a decision that undercores his struggles at the Italian side.

Sadiq Umar (Real Sociedad)
Like Chukwueze, Sadiq exists on the fringes at Real Sociedad and is expected to leave the club sooner than later, having failed to impress in his second season with the La Liga outfit.
The Eagles striker has endured a difficult two-year stint with Sociedad since joining from Almeria during the 2022 summer for €20m.

After helping the Rojiblancos secure promotion to the Spanish topflight, the 27-year-old joined the Reale Arena outfits in a deal worth €26m plus add-ons and a 15 percent sell-on clause until the 2027/28 season.

After starting the 2022/23 season brightly, scoring three goals in five matches with a debut goal for the Txuri-Urdinak against Atletico Madrid, Sadiq suffered an injury that saw him undergo surgery and was eventually out of action for 11 months.

Since his return from the long layoff, Sadiq has failed to replicate the form that saw Sociedad invest so much in him as the club’s most expensive signing.

Despite showing glimpses of his brilliance at the start, the Kaduna-born forward has struggled to remain consistent, having failed to hit the back of the net after five La Liga appearances.

Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen)

After playing a role in Leverkusen’s impressive season that culminated in a domestic double, Tella has yet to hit the strides this term.
The 25-year-old has made six appearances across all competitions, grossing minutes that don’t portray his as one of the reliable players in the team.

The midfielder has played just a minute in the UEFA Champions League, while grossing 82 minutes in three league games.

Paul Onuachu (Southampton)

Onuachu, who plies trade with Southampton, is the only Nigeria without a single minute of action so far this season.

The 30-year-old expressed his desire to leave the Saints during the transfer window and was keen on a move to Trabzonspor, where he played in the 2023/24 season on loan and was impressive enough to make the club’s hierarchy want to sign him on a permanent deal.

His wish of staying with the Turkish giants didn’t come to fruition after both clubs failed to reach an agreement.

Forced to stay with Southampton, Onuachu is yet to feature this season, with another loan during the winter break looking imminent.
Joe Aribo (Southampton)

Unlike his compatriot Onuachu, Aribo has made three starts and came on as a substitute twice in his five appearances for Southampton.

The midfielder was also in action for 90 minutes during their EFL Cup third-round game against Everton last month.

However, the midfielder is yet to make much impact for the Saints, despite the increasing number of games.

He was unlucky in their game against Ipswich Town over the weekend, as Sam Morsy’s 95th-minute shot took a wicked deflection off him and into the net to deny Southampton their first win of the campaign.