Chelsea don’t want to lose too many players due to AFCON. This is just disappointing and an important part of the season.
But if defender Tosin Adarabioyo accepts the offer to play for Nigeria, we will soon lose him to AFCON.
So from a selfish point of view, I hope he doesn’t join Nigeria and play for them. But I think he should absolutely consider the offer and represent Nigeria on the international stage.
The Nigeria Football Federation said it was aware of the steps Tosin needed to take to represent Nigeria.
They have just announced their latest squad for the upcoming AFCON qualifiers.
Tosin’s absence from the squad has caused some controversy locally, but the decision appears to be entirely up to the player.
The Nigeria Football Federation said there had been discussions with Tosin in the past and he was not ready to play for Nigeria at the time.
The NFF also suggested that Tosin knows what needs to be done to shift his international allies to Nigeria.
“Jose Peceiro traveled to England to meet him last year to talk about playing for Nigeria, but he told his then coach that he was not ready yet,” an NFF source told ESPN.
“If he wants to transition, now he knows what to do.”
So the ball is in Tosin’s court, and he still appears to be unable to feature for England, his country of birth.
Tosin recently turned 27 and has not represented England at U19 level since 2015. He has yet to earn a senior call-up.
But perhaps signing for Chelsea this summer means Tosin sees this as an opportunity to earn a call-up to the England squad and I appreciate that ambition.
But playing for Nigeria would also be a huge achievement and I actually think it would be wiser for him to go for it at this stage.
Tosin remains eligible to represent Nigeria through bloodline and I believe that players who want to play at the highest level and have successful careers should also be involved in international football.
But of course that decision is not mine. I would love it if Tosin earned a place at Chelsea, played well for a long time and got a call-up to England. I think it would be really nice. The decision is his. I think, for his part, he would like to play international football as soon and regularly as possible.
He’ll probably play another season and then make a decision. i heard through SPTC According to sources, he is open to playing for the Nigeria national team but is yet to make a decision.
