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Premier League: Arsenal's Nigerian teenagers can help the Gunners conquer Europe

Golden Eaglets Kelechi Nwakali and Samuel Chukwueze could become part of the golden generation at the Emirates after being snapped up by Arsene Wenger

Kelechi Nwakali and Samuel Chukwueze are looking to make the grade at Arsenal

Football loves its tales of brotherly romance; at some point we’ve all probably seen photos of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus cosily laughing together, or Barcelona’s logic-defying front three hugging happily like a bunch of school kids on a playfield.

While theirs isn’t quite on this same level of affection just yet, Arsenal’s pair of Nigerian youngsters Kelechi Nwakali and Samuel Chukwueze have basically spent the entirety of their fledgling careers together, right from the start at Diamond Football Academy in Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria to being integral parts of the Nigerian U17 side that won a record 5th cadet championship in Chile in 2015. Nwakali and Chukwueze have been together every step of the way.

Another Kelechi – Iheanacho – is the poster boy for a new breed of exciting young Nigerian talents as he won the 2013 U17 World Cup at the United Arab Emirates.

Iheanacho was the star of the show, totem-bearer and all-round team leader but little known is the fact that Nwakali and Chukwueze were members of that squad who failed to make the final cut due to injuries in the build up to the tournament.

The Golden Eaglets, as the Nigerian U17 side are called, were runners up at the 2013 Africa U17 tournament in Morocco, coached by Manu Garba and the squad included Nwakali and Chukwueze. To therefore miss out on the World Cup squad nine months later was particularly frustrating for these youngsters, but as it turned out, it might have been a rather well timed stroke of welcome misfortune.

Kelechi Nwakali was oustanding at the U17 World Cup
Kelechi Nwakali was oustanding at the U17 World Cup

“I was in the pre-World Cup training squad in 2013 but I didn’t make the squad that went on to win the trophy because of injury,” Nwakali told FIFA’s official website in 2015.

If both players had made the World Cup squad in 2013, they would have featured sparingly, used mainly as squad members and as such might not have been on the radar of the top European clubs.

Nwakali and Chukwueze did not have to wait for long to get their moment in the spotlight, as upon Emmanuel Amuneke’s instalment as the new manager of the U17 side following Garba’s promotion to the U20 development team, the new gaffer wasted no time in calling up the dynamic duo, promptly choosing Nwakali as team captain.

Amuneke’s first assignment was the 2015 African U17 tournament in Niger: the Golden Eaglets underperformed, finishing fourth as they lost the third-place playoff 3-1 to Mali. Nwakali, Chukwueze and Wolfsburg new boy Victor Osimhen, however caught the eye in Niger, with Nwakali scoring 3 goals from his position in central midfield. Pressure was mounting on Amuneke following his side’s dismal outing in Niger and it was evident only a strong showing at the U17 World Cup in Chile later in the year would keep him in a job. And boy did he deliver.

The Golden Eaglets swept all before them in Chile, playing exciting, attacking football and scoring 23 goals in the process. Once again, the trio of Osimhen, Chukwueze and Nwakali were instrumental to Nigeria’s success. Osimhen finished as highest goalscorer with 10 goals and as if to further underline the inseparable nature of their friendship, Nwakali and Chukwueze both finished the competition with 3 goals and 3 assists apiece.

Nwakali was named the best player of the tournament, taking home the much-coveted FIFA Golden Ball. European scouts, by now, were alerted to the emergence of these prodigiously talented youngsters and both players were snapped up by Stellar Group, the UK’s biggest football agency, the company representing Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale.

Golden Eaglets Kelechi Nwakali (right) and Samuel Chukwueze
Golden Eaglets Kelechi Nwakali (right) and Samuel Chukwueze

Nwakali began his career as an attacking midfielder without any defensive responsibilities and in his younger years, he modelled his game on Brazilian legend Kaka’s style of play. In the build up to the 2015 competitions, however, Amuneke was convinced Nwakali was better suited to a defensive midfield role, and the transformation from artist to artisan began earnestly.

Now, Nwakali is a tactically aware defensive midfielder capable of protecting his defence while also launching attacks from deep. His days as an attacking midfielder also means he is a goal threat and the youngster’s hero is none other than the greatest African midfielder of his generation, Yaya Touré.

I love watching him [Yaya Touré] play because he loves to win. That’s all he wants. You can see it in the way he plays, the way he runs and even in the way he walks on the pitch. I want to play for a side that’s going places, like Manchester City,” said Nwakali during the U17 World Cup. Nwakali’s elder brother Chidiebere is on the books of Manchester City alongside Iheanacho.

Despite being of willowy frame, Nwakali has an abundance of strength of the ball and has the strength of a bull and the silky feet of a ballet dancer, not dissimilar to the player he cites as his inspiration. Being captain of the team has also seen him become a leader, and one team insider describes him as “Amuneke’s eyes and ears on the pitch.”

Chukwueze, for his part, is a predominantly left-footed winger, whose propensity for attacking his opponents and the space they leave behind has seen him compared to Arjen Robben and perhaps, pushing the limits of excitement, Lionel Messi. While comparing youngsters to all-time greats is a fool’s business and ultimately a set-up for failure, the comparison just shows how immensely talented Chukwueze is.

There is the decision making to go with his potent mix of pace and skill, and although the youngster can be a little lacking in defensive responsibility, Arsenal have acquired for themselves a potential world beater in the years to come.

Perhaps the most fitting testament of Nwakali and Chukwueze’s intertwining destinies came at the Diamond Football Academy Christmas party last December. Nwakali and Chukwueze both finished the World Cup in Chile with the same number of goals and assists but Chukwueze won the tiebreaker by virtue of having achieved the feat in fewer minutes.

Erroneously, FIFA gave the Bronze Shoe award to Nwakali in Chile, and when they realized their mistake, they promised to send a replica to the rightful winner of the award but Nwakali would be allowed to keep his. Nwakali, though, presented his Bronze Shoe to his teammate and friend, saying he was willing to wait for Fifa’s replica to arrive.

It might have been a fairly insignificant gesture of politeness towards his friend, but it showed the leadership qualities that the youngster possesses. Talent and hard work has seen them both land at Arsenal and if the trajectory of their careers is anything to go by, they will both be successful at a club that already holds a compatriot of theirs in high regard.

Follow Aanu Adeoye on Twitter @aanuadeoye