Why Super Eagles star is eager to play against new Trabzonspor teammate Salah

Super Eagles defender Chibuike Nnaiwu has welcomed the challenge of facing Mohamed Salah in training and matches after praising the Egyptian forward’s quality following Trabzonspor’s latest victory.

The Nigerian centre-back also addressed transfer speculation linking him with Fulham, insisting that his priority remains performing for the Turkish club despite reported interest from England.

Nnaiwu was speaking after Trabzonspor’s 2-1 victory over Istanbul Başakşehir in the Turkish Süper Lig, where he played a key role in helping his side secure all three points.

The 23-year-old has recently been linked with a possible move to Premier League side Fulham, with reports suggesting that the London club were monitoring his situation. However, the defender insisted that he is not distracted by speculation and remains committed to his current contract with Trabzonspor.

“I saw the news you mentioned. However, I want to focus on my football and the game I'm playing. I already have a contract,” Nnaiwu said, as quoted by Haber61.

The Nigerian has become an important part of Trabzonspor’s squad and is focused on continuing his development in Turkey. His comments come after another impressive team performance, with Trabzonspor securing victory thanks to the brilliance of Salah, who scored both goals for the hosts.

Salah opened the scoring in the eighth minute before Eldor Shomurodov levelled the contest from the penalty spot. The former Liverpool forward then restored Trabzonspor’s advantage three minutes after the restart to complete the victory.

Reflecting on the Egyptian’s performance, Nnaiwu admitted that defenders must be fully prepared whenever they face one of football’s most dangerous attackers.

“Every player who plays against Salah needs to be very prepared. Because, as we all know, he is a top-level player,” he said.

The Super Eagles defender also revealed his excitement at the possibility of testing himself against Salah, highlighting the learning opportunity that comes from competing against elite attackers.

“As a defender, I would like to play against Salah. If I'm going to play against him, I need to be 100% ready and completely focused. Because Salah is not a player you can easily take out of the game. He has very high quality,” Nnaiwu added.

With Salah now leading Trabzonspor’s attack, Nnaiwu believes facing players of that calibre can only help him continue improving as a defender.