Nwakali Poised To Make Pro Debut Against a Team He Rejected

Nigeria U20s skipper Kelechi Nwakali is poised to make his professional debut on Friday night against Ajax Amsterdam, one of the teams that were interested in his signature before he committed his future to Arsenal for five years in the summer.

The attacking midfielder arrived in the Netherlands last Saturday and has since resumed training, playing the first half of the youth team’s 2-0 loss to Jong FC Eindhoven in a scrimmage held on Monday.

Sources revealed that MVV Maastricht have done everything possible to get Nwakali fit for tonight’s clash at De Geusselt, and the Limburg-based club are impressed with his fitness level.

After the 2015 Fifa U17 World Cup, Ajax Amsterdam had a made a bid in the region of 1.5 million euros to secure the signature of the Nigerian talent, and offered him €1.1 million wages over the duration of the contract, only for Diamond Academy to pull the plug on the deal.

The 18-year-old Kelechi Nwakali trained with the first team of Arsenal prior to his trip to the Netherlands.