Is It Time To Finally Invite Chuba Akpom to The Super Eagles to Compete With Victor Osihmen and Others?

Chuba Akpom netted a hat-trick in Ajax’s 4-1 away win at Jagiellonia Bialystok, in the first leg of the Europa League Play-offs on Thursday, to continue a rich vein of form and ruthlessness in front of goal over 3 seasons now.

Timing is everything.

"Dual nationality players say they want to play for England, France, or another country. And then, they wait and they keep waiting and waiting, then when they get to 25 or 26 and they don't get a call-up, they call Nigeria," Mercurial Super Eagles midfielder Mikel Obi said recently.

"If you decide you want to play for England, stick to it, sit and wait. If you don't get a call-up, then you don't get a call-up. Don't wait until you're 29 or 30 when you're past your best before calling Nigeria." Suggested Mikel.

That statement generated a lot of controversy but I kinda see where Mikel is (trying) to come from.

Look at someone like this Chuba Akpom, he was approached to play for Nigeria the same time as Tyrone Ebuehi, Ola Aina Brian Idowu and, further down the line, Semi Ajayi, Cyriel Dessers and Joe Aribo: most of whom have already gone on to represent Nigeria in big tournaments or at least participate in meaty qualifiers.

However Akpom chose to edge his bets, bide his time and weigh his options. When the time-glass appeared to no longer be sand-packed in his favour age-wise, with chances of his first option fading with the wind, he then remembered: hmm, there's Nigeria!

Although he belatedly switched to Nigeria, he has 'conveniently' been overlooked by at least 3 national team coaches. Has he been blacklisted by the NFF for snubbing the initial overtures of current shadow NFF Chairman Amaju Pinnick at the time? Who knows?

His snub does seem inexplicable to me owing to how lethal he has been for Middlesbrough and Ajax in recent seasons.

Way back in October 2017, he would so easily have made his Super Eagle debut against Zambia with Ola Aina as they were both courted by Pinnick to ditch our former colonial masters for this colony back then. Seven years later, Aina has no less than 40 caps for Nigeria with his secured place in the Super Eagles squad as strong as cement.

And Akpom? Still waiting for his first call-up.

For me, football is not about feelings o!

If Akpom still has fire in his belly to represent Nigeria, why not give him a chance? Better late than never; although reluctant at first, he came to his senses and retraced his ancestral roots.

Although we currently have a glut of strikers, the more - they say - the merrier.