Izuchukwu Okosi
Super Eagles goalkeeper at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, Stanley Nwabali was unknown to most Nigerian football supporters prior to the tournament.
The one-time Katsina United and Lobi Stars goalie had only one international cap to his name.
That singular outing in national team jersey was in a 4-0 defeat against Mexico in an international friendly.
However since Nwabali’s sensational performances at the Afcon where he was in the conversation for the prize as the best goalkeeper of the tournament, his ratings has gone off the roof top.
Many media reports indicated after the Afcon tournament that the Chippa United of South Africa safe hands is attracting interests from Saudi Arabian clubs and as well some Belgian Pro League and Scottish sides.
Nwabali was rewarded with N20m by Rivers State government for his heroics at the Africa Cup of Nations where Nigeria were runners up.
He was also conferred with a chieftaincy title by his community in Rivers State.
The noise over a possible departure from Chippa United and indeed African football space had somewhat gone down on the last few weeks.
But a recent report on a football-dedicated website shows that Nwabali’s club has placed a premium on him, perhaps in a bid to stave off the interests of interested clubs.
Chippa United have slapped a huge asking price of R30 million (approximately N2.3 billion in Nigerian currency) on their prized Nigerian goalkeeper.
Chippa United are right to value their goalkeeper that much after such a great outing with the Super Eagles at the AFCON in the Ivory Coast.
However, the club must realize that goalkeepers unfortunately do not command big transfers like strikers and some midfielders.
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Goalkeepers and to a large extents, defenders can make record transfers to other clubs but in most cases, are not in the top echelons of big movers in the transfer market with the unpopular and warped idea that strikers get the goals thet win games.
But ultimately good defences win tournaments and goalkeepers and defenders must be appreciated.
While this is a valid argument, Chippa must not stall Nwabali’s progress whose international career itself started a tad late having made his mark in a major tournament at the age of 27.
Nwabali would need to move to Europe and at a good club where seven to ten years more could be squeezed out of his career.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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