By Daily Sports Nigeria on December 16, 2023

With 28-day to the kick off of the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, JOHNNY EDWARD identifies five players Jose Peseiro should consider including in his provisional squad for the tournament

Akor Adams (Montpellier)

Victor Osimhen remains the Eagles first choice striker when fit but the other strikers in the team in some way have struggled to pose a threat to the position in the Eagles set up.

Montpellier’s Akor Adams has been one of the form strikers in the Ligue 1 since this season. Under Michel Der Zakarian, the striker’s output has gone to the next level.

Despite being on a six game goals drought in the Ligue 1, Adams is the second highest scorer in the French topflight division behind Kylian Mbappe having scored seven league goals in 15 appearances. Prior to his arrival, the former Sogndal striker had notched 17 goals in 17 games playing for Lillestrom.

Adams has become a lot more effective in the box as a result of Zakarian’s play. The 23-year-old provides a lot for his team out of possession with a tremendous work-rate and has clearly taken strides in improving his box presence as a number nine.

Tosin Adarabioyo (Fulham)

Adarabioyo’s stock has risen tremendously since joining Fulham in 2020 since leaving Manchester City. The highly-rated centre back played a big part of the excellent Cottagers defence that was the backbone for their quick return back to the Premier League in 2021 after they were relegated the previous season.

A combination of injury and a failed move to Monaco in the summer meant the 26-year-old missed the start of the Premier League season.

Nonetheless, Adarabioyo has shown he has all the attributes to play at the top level. He needs to be considered for a role in the Eagles as he ticks a number of boxes – his ability in possession, ball carrying qualities and ability to cover a lot of ground which allows Fulham play aggressively – qualities currently lacking in the current Eagles defence. He played crucial roles in the Lilywhites thrashing of Nottingham Forest and West Ham in the space of four day.

Gift Orban (Gent)

Gift Orban was handed his maiden invitation to the Super Eagles camp in May for the final round of AFCON qualifiers but failed to make his debut in the games against Sierra Leone and Sao Tome.

Orban has been on the Jose Peseiro’s radar for some time now and after a superb 2023 with Gent in the Belgian topflight, he has continued to do well.

He has been tearing it up in Belgium under Hein Vanhaezebrouck’s tutelage and has scored more goals than any other Nigerian player in Europe in 2023 so far.

So far this season, the 21-year-old is one of the highest Nigerian scorers in Europe with 12 goals in 25 games for Gent who currently occupies third spot in the Belgian Jupiler.

Elijah Adebayo (Luton Town)

With the chances of lanky striker, Paul Onuachu making Nigeria’s squad for the AFCON growing lean by the hour, Luton Town forward Elijah Adebayo is under the spotlight for an invitation.

The 25-year-old 6ft 4in striker was Luton’s top scorer with 17 goals from 42 appearances in all competitions in his first full season in the English Championship last season and he has followed that up with four goals in 18 games so far this season.

His aerial prowess and physical strength caused lots of problem for Arsenal and Manchester City which could be crucial to the Eagles team if there’s a need to deploy the long ball tactics.

Adebayo takes up good positions on the diagonal hoping for an accurate cross. He is long-legged and can look a little uncoordinated but he gets his shots away. His manager would be pleased with his determination, energy and closing down. He forces mistakes by doing this and helps his team to win the ball back early.

Stanley Nwabili (Chippa United)

Before now, Nigeria was a country noted for having some of the best goalkeepers in Africa. It is a long history that is littered with some of the biggest names in the game but in the last decade past coaches of the Super Eagles have struggled to find worthy successor to Vincent Enyeama.

With the goalkeeping crisis in the national team becoming alarming, coach, Jose Peseiro, has beamed is search light on Chippa United goalie Stanley Nwabili as he searches for replacement to fix the goalkeeping problem.

Former Lobi Stars keeper, Nwabili already been capped by the home-based Eagles, has being in great form for Chippa United keeping seven clean sheets in 13 games conceding 10 goals.

There have been great concerns in the goalkeeping department with the team’s first choice, Francis Uzoho struggling to inspire confidence following the team’s poor results in recent matches.

Source Punch Ng

Posted December 16, 2023

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