Two of the hottest properties in world football right now are Nigerian and talkSPORT were able to get an honest view from their nation’s captain.
William Troost-Ekong joined Hawksbee and Jacobs to discuss teammates Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, with both potentially on the move very soon.
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Troost-Ekong played a pivotal role in leading Nigeria to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, impressively scoring five goals from his defensive position, which earned him the Player of the Tournament accolade.
His burden was eased by Lookman, who joined him on five goals as part of quite a remarkable 12 months.
The London-born former Everton and Leicester forward moved out to Italy with Atalanta in 2022, where his career has blossomed.
After a phenomenal debut season where he scored 15 goals, Troost-Ekong upped his tally to 17 in the following season. This included a remarkable hat-trick in the Europa League final against the previously unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen.
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This season, he has netted 11 goals in 12 matches and is spearheading an unexpected charge for the Serie A title. Troost-Ekong believes this could pave the way for a transfer to one of the world’s elite football clubs.
“He’s on fire now and a lot of promise is coming through,” the Al-Kholood defender told talkSPORT. “This season he’s been something else and at AFCON he was amazing.
“I would say he’s arguably our best player and arguably the best player in Africa right now. On December 16 there will be the [African Player of the Year] ceremony and I’m sure he’s going to win it.
“Everybody saw the hat-trick in the Europa League final and then there were a lot of rumours about big clubs which I know to be true, but Atalanta weren’t ready for him to go.
“If I was any top club right now I’d want him, he’s a top professional and a great lad, so I’m a very big fan.”
One Nigerian player who did get his move during the summer was Osimhen, although he ended up where neither he nor anyone else expected in Turkey with Galatasaray.
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Having led Napoli to a first Serie A title in 33 years in 2023 with 26 league goals, the striker reportedly signed a bumper contract at the club to get them full value when an eventual sale came.
However, with Napoli all over the place the following campaign, suitors quickly dried up, and new manager Antonio Conte wanted a reunion with Romelu Lukaku for the 2024/25 season.
Osimhen had previously been linked to Arsenal, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, but Troost-Ekong believes if the move does finally materialise, even as soon as January, his countryman is clear about where he wants to end up.
“I can tell you he’s a Chelsea fan, I can confirm that,” he revealed.
“He’s a great teammate, in front of the goal he can be very greedy, but he’s someone who speaks up for the team in the changing room, he’s a real leader and I’m sure he’ll be captain soon.
“The first time he joined us was in 2019 as the understudy to Odion Ighalo, but during the training we were so impressed.
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“He always plays like it’s his last game of football, chasing down every ball and going for every header.
“Everything that looks like it shouldn’t be a chance, he makes it a chance, I think he’s one of the most feared strikers to play against.”
