Former Arsenal midfielder and Nigeria international Kelechi Nwakali on joining Barnsley FC - second time around

The Nigerian international midfielder was tipped to be a star in the making when he linked up with Arsenal after impressing at the 2015 Under-17 World Cup where he was named as the best player in the tournament.

Nwakali’s career has failed to truly live up to those heights since and after spells across Europe, he now finds himself at Barnsley, having joined from Portuguese outfit Chaves on a three-year deal.

On his route to Barnsley and whether it constituted a surprise, the 26-year-old, who represented Nigeria at various youth levels before gaining his first full cap in 2022 at the African Cup of Nations, said: "It wasn’t because last summer, my agent was in touch with them, but it didn’t happen.

"It has been my dream to come back to England, so when the opportunity came again, it was the right time to do it.

"Of course, I had different options such as going back to Spain, but I wanted to come back to England.

"It’s not unfinished business, but just to prove my worth again and football is about moving around."

Nwakali made his long-awaited debut in Tuesday’s EFL Trophy loss at Huddersfield Town and one or two quality contributions comfortably represented the highlight of an otherwise forgettable display from the off-form Reds.

The schemer, who joined on a three-year deal in mid-August, continued: "Every player understands that when you move into a new team, you have to adapt and wait for the right moment to get into the squad.

"It’s been frustrating because everyone wants to play, but at the same time, you have to keep waiting for the opportunity to come.

"Tuesday was good for me moving forward. It was a game with good intensity and there’s enough time in the training sessions to prepare and get better to get into the league team.

"The most important thing is to help the team with my quality.”