Top Five Nigerians Who Joined EPL Clubs As Superstars But Ended Up As Flops

Fans of Nigerian footballers were filled with excitement when a series of Nigerian players joined some Premier League clubs in the last four transfer windows.

The reason most of the fans were excited about these Nigerian players joining the English elite league was because of the top form they were enjoying at their previous clubs.

Unfortunately, that excitement has turned to disappointment as most of the Nigerian players, if not all, that joined English clubs in the last four transfer windows ended up as flops this season either because of their drastic drop in form or injury woes.

Below are the top Nigerian Players that joined English clubs in the last four transfer windows that are now flops

1. Joe Aribo (Glasgow Rangers to Southampton)

Joe Aribo was one of the brightest stars in the Scottish league last season as he helped Glasgow Rangers to win the league title. After that, he decided to move to the most competitive league in the world, the Premier League.

Southampton paid £10 million for the services of the Nigerian attacking midfielder last summer but he could not reciprocate his form at the club so far this season.

Things have gotten so bad for the attacking midfielder that he has managed to score just two goals in 1,544 minutes of football all season as Southampton continue to fight to escape relegation.

2. Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam to Watford)

Maduka Okoye was looking like the future of Nigeria in terms of goalkeeping when he was at Sparta Rotterdam. He was so good that he was named the club’s best player of the 2020-2021 season.

After helping the club to finish eighth in the Dutch Eredivisie last season, his form at the club attracted Watford to sign him for £6 million in 2022 but since then, things have not remained the same for the goalie.

Maduka Okoye has become so terrible that he has sat on Watford’s bench for 1800 minutes despite not suffering any injury. He was left out of Watford’s squad 24 times and was an unused substitute 20 times out of 44 Championship games.

3. Samuel Kalu (Bordeaux to Watford)

Samuel Kalu was enjoying the best of football at Bordeaux before he decided to bring his career to the Premier League. Watford jumped on the opportunity and paid £3 million for his services.

Despite how his arrival was celebrated at the relegated club, Kalu’s spell at the club has been bedeviled by injuries that have greatly affected his form.

So far this season, he has managed to play just 230 minutes of football in 13 appearances while the club continues to hope for another club to come for his services.

4. Emmanuel Dennis (Watford to Nottingham Forest)

Emmanuel Dennis was never expected to be a bad signing for Nottingham Forest when he joined the club from Watford for £20 million last summer. Unfortunately, that is his new reality at the club.

After an above-average performance at Watford last season, Dennis has become a complete shadow of his former self as he has managed just two goals and two assists in 18 games for the relegation-threatened Forest.

5. Paul Onuachu (Genk to Southampton)

Paul Onuachu was seen as the best striker in Belgium while playing for Genk. The form of the 28-year-old Nigerian striker attracted Southampton to come for his signature.

So far at the relegation-threatened side, Onuachu is yet to score in 9 Premier League games nor provide any assist despite having four shots on target out of a total of seven shots.