Nigerian youngster Kelechi Nwakali has said he has completed his move to Arsenal – tweeting that his new life has begun at the London club.
However a move for Nwakali could not be completed until the player’s 18th birthday, on June 5, due to Fifa regulations that forbid the transfer of minors unless within the European Union.
On his Twitter feed Nwakali changed his bio to state that he was a “footballer for Arsenal FC and Nigeria U20 Nike Athlete” and also shared a Facebook post of him posing with the shirt of his new club.
New Life Begins @Arsenal. https://t.co/uFr635GyUC— Kelechi Nwakali (@KelechiNwakali) June 13, 2016
Arsenal fought off interest from a string of Europe’s leading clubs, including Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Manchester City, to sign the midfielder – who revealed the influence of Kanu had played heavily on him.
“I just came back from London, I have signed a five-year contract with Arsenal,” he told All Nigeria Soccer.
Nwakali skippered Nigeria to Under-17 World Cup glory last year.
Nwakali was in action for Nigeria at the weekend as he helped the Flying Eagles beat Burundi 3-1 on aggregate in the U-20 African Cup of Nations qualifier.Nwakali recently offered a tantalizing glimpse of his talent when he scored a wonderful free kick to help his nation beat Burundi. The Nigerian Football Federation relayed a highlight of the impressive strike:
Wenger has a long history of placing his faith in African talent, with Nwankwo Kanu, Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Eboue and Emmanuel Adebayor all enjoying success during the Frenchman's time at Arsenal.
Most recently, Alex Iwobi, a 20-year-old Nigerian attacking midfielder, has made a breakthrough. Adding Nwakali will give Wenger one more promising young prospect he can develop into a potential star.
Nwakali is Wenger’s 195th signing, and the £3m fee takes Wenger’s total spend at Arsenal to £550 million pounds.
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