Taribo West Says Samuel Chukwueze Needs Help

Former Super Eagles defender, Taribo West has noted that Nigerian winger, Samuel Chukwueze currently needs help in Milan.

Samuel Chukwueze who was a very important member of the Spanish La Liga club, Villarreal, decided to move to the Italian Serie A club, AC Milan last summer.

The Italian side paid the sum of €20 million for the services of the 24-year-old Nigerian winger. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to fully establish himself at the club.

So far this season, he has played ten league games mostly from the bench and has managed to provide one assist. His first and only goal for AC Milan came in the Champions League.

Even though Samuel Chukwueze has not been as prolific as expected, Taribo West argued that the Nigerian right-winger is one of the best players in his position.

He however compared his struggles at AC Milan during his playing days to that of Chukwueze, stressing that the Nigerian football federation should have a way of helping a player like the youngster to cope in Italy.

West noted he was kicked out of Milan during his playing days because he displaced Paulo Maldini from the team’s defense, a development that didn’t go down well with football enthusiasts in Italy then

The retired footballer said if football authorities in Nigeria had reached out to him then, they would have helped him to save his football career.

“I played in Maldini’s position and I took the position from him. Then I went to meet the President of Inter Milan and see if I could return to the club and he asked me why did I leave in the first place for Milan and I told him I wanted some experience with another team and see how it is”, Taribo West told the Punch.

“Then he said, ‘Why did you play in Maldini’s position?’ So, I said anywhere the coach told me to play I would play. He said, ’ In Italy, you don’t do that, that’s our national team captain, you are looking for trouble.’ That’s what the Inter Milan president told me, I can say it anywhere.

“So, they had to look for a way to scheme me out of the team and that was why I left Milan because the following season I was going to be a regular or captain of the team because I had taken the position of Maldini. Maldini himself knew because he was asking me, ‘Do you play left-full back?’

“But Chukwueze, I think he is the best in his position in the world right now. If the football association knows what to do, there are certain things they can employ to make our players the best in the world…

“Chukwueze needs help and he is now in Italy, which is not the same as Spain. He doesn’t know the culture yet and that is why somebody needs to be there to help him through. There are a lot of things I see that hurt me and that is why during my time as a player I criticized so many things and I became a rebel in the Eagles. That is why they sacked me from the team.”