Forget Victor Osimhen, Maduka Okoye is Eric Chelle’s biggest dilemma

When the draw for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers was made, Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle would have hoped for an easy start, but that has not been the case, even though not a ball has been kicked. 

The Super Eagles start their campaign with a clash against Madagascar on Friday before facing Guinea-Bissau four days later. While these are winnable games on paper, Chelle has some big decisions to make. 

The Super Eagles tactician’s preparation for the games took a major blow after Victor Osimhen was ruled out due to an injury. Osimhen’s importance to the Super Eagles cannot be overstated, as he has the ability to win games on his own. 

However, while Osimhen’s absence is already a big issue, Chelle faces a bigger dilemma as he has to decide who will be his goalkeeper for the two games. 

For the first time in recent years, the Super Eagles have three goalkeepers who are good enough to be the No. 1. Chelle has called up Stanley Nwabali, Arthur Okonkwo, and Maduka Okoye for the three games, but it remains to be seen who will get the nod. 

Ideally, Nwabali should be the guy, as he has held that position for some time now. The Chippa United goalkeeper has been the undisputed Super Eagles No. 1 goalkeeper since AFCON 2023 and was also in goal for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. 

Chelle is familiar with him, as he was also his number one choice for AFCON 2025, where Nigeria finished third. 

Normally, this should make Nwabali the safest option, but his lack of activity after the AFCON until the summer will probably have Chelle second-guessing. 

Nwabali, for reasons known to him, decided to walk away from his contract at Chippa and was inactive for over four months. 

Although he has since returned to Chippa in the summer, his inactivity allowed Chelle to try out Okoye and Okonkwo for Super Eagles friendly games pre-World Cup. 

While Okonkwo is unlikely to be the No. 1 choice for now, Okoye might be an option Chelle is considering for the two games after watching him up close in the friendly games against Portugal and Poland. 

Although the Super Eagles failed to win either of the two games, Okoye was one of the players who impressed in both matches.

The former Sparta Rotterdam player pulled off a whopping five saves against the Selecao and replicated the same feat against the Poles, showing his quality in goal. 

His performance in the two games must have convinced Chelle, and that could be a big factor in his decision on who he plays in goal for the two qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau. 

Even if that is not enough to ditch a trusted stalwart like Nwabali, the fact that Okoye plays in a far superior league could also be another big factor in whatever decision Chelle takes. 

No disrespect to the South African league, but it is just not on the same level as the Italian league, where Okoye plies his trade. 

The 27-year-old shotstopper is the undisputed No. 1 for Udinese and has started this season in fine form. In fact, it could be argued that the Nigerian international has been the best goalkeeper in Serie A this campaign. 

He may still be waiting for his first clean sheet of the season, but he has made 11 saves and he is preventing 1.7 goals per game. This is impressive for a goalkeeper who is plying his trade for a team sitting in 13th position in Serie A this season. 

It is important to state that Nwabali has also been equally impressive for Chippa this season and will most likely be Chelle’s choice if the former Mali coach decides to play it safe. 

However, the 30-year-old is not doing it at the same level as Okoye, and that leaves Chelle with a big decision to make for the games against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau. 

Over to you, Mr Chelle. Nigerians are waiting for your decision.