Questionable Holes In Chelle’s Super Eagles AFCON Squad

The unveiling of a national team squad for a major tournament is always a moment of dissection, a cocktail of hope, debate, and immediate verdicts. The final 28-man list named by coach Eric Chelle, however, has generated less a consensus of confidence and more a chorus of concern. Beyond the predictable inclusions of stars like Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman lies a selection philosophy that appears reactionary and constrained. AFFA ACHO analyse the critical omissions and the team’s readiness for a grueling tournament where Nigeria seeks redemption after failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Nigeria’s announcement of its final 28-man squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, led by coach Eric Chelle, was expected to project strength and stability. However, the final roster has instead sparked significant debate. Eric Chelle has made a bold, and potentially reckless, gamble on youth.
He has handed AFCON debuts to a staggering nine players, five of whom have never played a senior minute for Nigeria. This move injects dynamism but places immense pressure on the tournament’s most valuable currency: cohesion.
The Core of Inexperienced Players:
Ryan Alebiosu (Blackburn Rovers): Defender
Igoh Ogbu (Slavia Prague): Defender
Amas Obasogie (Singida Black Stars): Goalkeeper
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Lazio): Midfielder
Ebenezer Akinsamiro (Pisa): Midfielder
Tochukwu Nnadi (Zulte Waregem): Midfielder
Cyriel Dessers (Panathinaikos): Forward
Akor Adams (Sevilla): Forward
Salim Fago (NK Istra): Forward
Usman Muhammed (Ironi Tiberias, Israel)
While the young inclusions are a gamble, the exclusions of proven performers point to more serious potential weaknesses.

1. The Baffling Goalkeeping Conundrum
The most glaring omission is goalkeeper Maduka Okoye. He was widely tipped to compete for the starting role as Nigeria’s only keeper playing regular top-flight football in Europe this season. Instead, Chelle has recalled Francis Uzoho, who has been absent from the national team for a full year and has not yet featured under this coach. This decision leaves a glaring question: if Stanley Nwabali is unfit, who is the reliable, in-form understudy?

2. The Surprising Forward and Midfield Exclusions
The attack,while talented, misses the in-form Tolu Arokodare, a striker often involved in Chelle’s previous squads. More critically, the engine room has lost Alhassan Yusuf, widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most mobile and dynamic midfielders. His absence could prove costly against high-pressing opponents, removing a key transitional player from Chelle’s options.

3. The Shadow of a Pre-Tournament Injury Crisis
Chelle’s final choices were reportedly forced by an unprecedented injury crisis.The biggest doubt surrounds first-choice goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, who is struggling with both an ankle and a hand injury and has not played for his club in weeks.

His club coach has publicly doubted his readiness. Furthermore, the defensive line is severely weakened: the promising Benjamin Fredrick—a natural successor to retired captain William Troost-Ekong—is out with a knee injury. Veteran full-back Ola Aina is also ruled out with a hamstring problem and is unlikely to regain match fitness in time.

Eric Chelle’s squad is a high-risk, high-reward proposition. On one hand, it signals a clear break from the past and an attempt to build a new, hungry Super Eagles identity focused on his “immediate structure”. On the other, the holes are undeniable: a vulnerable, injury-hit defense, a questionable goalkeeping hierarchy, and the absence of key midfield energy.

Former Nigeria international Ifeanyi Udeze has said the Super Eagles final 28-man squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is questionable.

“For me the Super Eagles final squad list is questionable because there are some players I have nothing to do in the team,” Udeze said on Brila FM.
“Super Eagles is my team and I will support them but there’s something about this list . Why bring in a player that plays in the second division in Israel, it would have been better if that spot is given to a player from the NPFL.”

Udeze questioned the decision to leave out Okoye despite being a regular for Udinese in Serie A.
He said:”Also, leaving Maduka Okoye out is questionable. I want to know why he was left out because he is a regular for Udinese, but we have goalkeepers from Cyrpus and Tanzania who made the list.”

The coach’s own inexperience on this stage adds another layer of pressure. His tenure with Mali ended in a heartbreaking quarter-final collapse at AFCON 2023, a failure attributed to game management. Now, with Nigeria, he has constructed a squad that, if it clicks, could surprise with its freshness.

However, if the inexperience shows or the injury-induced gaps are exploited, this redemption mission in Morocco could unravel quickly, leaving more questions than answers about the future direction of Nigerian football.