English club terminates contract of former Golden Boy of Nigerian football

Nigeria fringe international midfielder Kelechi Nwakali has left English League One side Barnsley due to mutual termination of his contract with one year remaining, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Barnsley have been trying to offload Nwakali for some time, with the 28-year-old having barely played since the 2024/25 season.

He made 26 appearances in his first season at the club, scoring a fine goal at Exeter, but was sidelined by Conor Hourihane last season after returning late from the summer holidays. He ended up making four substitute appearances at the end of the campaign when the manager was leaving.

Nwakali did not feature under new boss Daniel Stendel, leading to the decision to terminate his contract, and recent reports have linked him with a free transfer to Cypriot side Omonia.

Once considered Nigeria’s next big thing after being named best player at the 2013 U17 World Cup, he secured a high-profile move to Arsenal but failed to make the step up to the first team.

Daniel Martin

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