Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, has stressed that Ademola Lookman’s quality makes him indispensable for Nigeria.
Despite being sidelined at Atalanta during his transfer saga, Lookman still featured for Nigeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and South Africa.
Speaking to AfricaFoot, Chelle commended the forward’s resilience and professionalism during a difficult period in his career.
“From what I know, Lookman was meant to leave last summer, but his management refused, and that affected him a lot. I noticed it during our meeting in September,” Chelle explained.
“Lookman is a fantastic player, but also a quiet and introverted person who rarely shows his emotions. His management and the coaching staff understood that the team needed him and he also needed to play.
“To those who were surprised by his call-up, I said it was hard to ignore a player of his quality. He was fit, training hard, and remained very professional. I had spoken with him before the camp and knew I could rely on him.
“Initially, I thought he could only play about 30 minutes due to his lack of rhythm, but he showed otherwise. It is in the best interest of both his club and himself that Ademola keeps playing.”
