Guardian

Over the years since John Chiedozie made his name with Tottenham Hotspur in the 1980s, Nigeria has been aptly represented in the major European football leagues. From the pioneer steps of Stephen Keshi in the Belgian League to last season when two Nigerians featured in the Europa Cup winning Chelsea of England, no year has gone without an Eagle doing enough to remind football connoisseurs that Nigeria is a country blessed with many talents. Looking at the just-concluded English season, ADEYINKA ADEDIPE x-rays the contributions of Nigerians to the performance of their teams and what the future holds for them in the coming season.

Victor Moses (Chelsea)

VICTOR Moses has grown into a top class player with Chelsea, making 42 appearances and scoring 10 goals in the just concluded season. After switching to the West London club on August 14 last year, the Nigerian international has grown in leaps and bounds.

Although he is yet to establish himself as a first team regular, Moses contributed immensely to Chelsea’s modest success since debuting for the Stamford Bridge outfit as a substitute in a game against Queens Park Rangers.

Moses made his full debut for the Londoners when he started the League Cup game against Wolves and scored his first goal after 71 minutes, the game finished 6–0 to the Blues.

He also started his first Champions League game against Nordsjælland On October 31 last year, but he came to his own in a League Cup game against Manchester United, which Chelsea won 5-4.  He capped a sterling performance with the named Man of the Match award.

Moses scored his first Europa League goal for Chelsea in a 3-1 home win against Rubin Kazan, and then his second in the reverse fixture a week later.

He continued his fine form in the competition by scoring his side’s first goal in the 2-1 away win at Basel last month.  He also scored in the reverse match with Basel when the Blues won 3-1 and secured their participation in the Europa League final.

Looking back on his first season with the Blues, Moses admits that he is pleased with the extent of his involvement for the club this season.

Moses may see his opportunities limited under the Real Madrid boss should he take charge, but having the highly rated forward on the fringes of the first team will give his teammates the motivation they need to maintain a high level of performance.

He has experienced cup success in his first season in West London, now Victor Moses will looking to use his strong run in the Europa League as a platform to establish himself as a first-team regular next season.

Osaze Odemwingie (West Bromwich Albion)

Things have not gone according to the script for Osaze Odemwingie. The former Bendel Insurance star started the season well, converting a penalty in a 3–0 victory over Liverpool on August 18, 2012.

Things started going awry for Odemwingie during West Brom’s game on September 15 against Fulham, when he kicked out at Sascha Riether and was sent off. West Brom went on to lose the game 3–0, their first defeat of the season.

On November 5, 2012, Odemwingie scored a brace against Southampton, his second of the season coming from a shot that deflected off Maya Yoshida past Paulo Gazzaniga and his third a headed goal from a Shane Long cross.

Odemwingie headed in the winner against Chelsea November 17, pushing West Brom to a 2–1 home victory, their sixth win from seven home games to start the season. Later in the season Odemwingie scored against Aston Villa to make it 2–2 in the 83rd minute after West Brom had been two goals down at half-time in an enthralling match. But from then, things took a turn for the worst for the Super Eagles’ striker.

On January 25, West Brom announced they had rejected a formal transfer request from Odemwingie, a pronouncement that triggered a spate of bad press for the Nigerian.

His future at West Bromwich Albion came under doubt when he launched a tirade against his club on Twitter, in addition to accusing them of “reaching into his pocket,” reiterating his wish for a move elsewhere.

Soon after he was reportedly seen outside Loftus Road in an attempt to sign for Queens Park Rangers, but was refused entry as no offer was accepted for him. After initially being sent home from training on his return to West Brom, Odemwingie was later disciplined by the club for his actions on transfer deadline day and resumed training, while also publicly apologising for his behaviour.

He, however, played a bit-part for the remainder of last season with the Nigerian expected to leave the club when the transfer market opens in few days time.

Victor Anichebe (Everton)

The just concluded season could be described as Victor Anichebe’s best in the English Premier League. He played 32 games and scored eight goals for Everton. Though the big centre forward did not score much last season, he, however, made up for it with his all-round display while creating scoring opportunities for his teammates.

His former Manager, David Moyes, praised the impact of the Nigerian after the striker made a goal-scoring return from injury in January when he came off the bench to score a late winner for the Toffees against at the Hawthorns.

It was the 23-year-old’s first Premier League goal since March 2010 and his first appearance since September after recovering from the latest of a catalogue of serious injuries he has suffered in his short career.

The goal ensured Everton went a fourth game without defeat and rose into the top half of the table for the first time last season.

Goodison boss Moyes was delighted with the player’s telling influence given he had only just returned to fitness.

After extending his contract with Everton, he will be hoping to see more action next season.

Mikel Obi (Chelsea)

After five seasons with Chelsea, Mikel Obi is unarguably Nigeria’s lord of the Premiership. Obi’s strength on the ball and natural aggression make him an asset for both Chelsea and Nigeria. He was in excellent form for his club this season asserting himself in his defensive midfield role.

Mikel started all of Chelsea’s first five games of the new Premier League season, and also played in the Community Shield against Manchester City and Super Cup against Atlético Madrid.

In November, Mikel was named on the shortlist for the African Footballer of the Year along with former Chelsea teammate, Didier Drogba.

But things were not always rosy for the Jos Boy. Mikel was a subject of a racism brouhaha after a game against Manchester United when Chelsea accused the referee, Mark Clattenburg of racially abusing the Nigerian after their 2-3 loss to Manchester United. He was later charged with misconduct on November 22, 2012, given a three-match ban and fined £60,000 by the by the Football Association, which found Clattenburg innocent of the allegations.  .

On December 5, 2012, Mikel signed a contract extension with Chelsea, keeping him at the club until 2017. He made 38 appearances for Chelsea in all competition this season.

Danny Shittu (Millwall)

At the end of the 2012/2013 season, Danny Shittu was named Millwall’s Player of the year after receiving 44 per cent of the vote.

Shittu has won over the Millwall faithful in his first full season at the club with his commitment and leadership qualities on the field, whilst his warmth and friendly persona off the field has made him an instant hit with fans of all ages.

He was the clear favourite to win the award and did so by a landslide, 44 per cent of total votes ahead of David Forde (23 per cent) and James Henry (12 per cent), who came second and third, respectively.

The English Championship outfit reached the semi-final of the FA Cup this season with Shittu at the heart of their great run.

It has proved to be a memorable campaign for Danny Shittu, who was the runaway winner to scoop the Junior Lions Player of the Year award too.

Millwall missed promotion to the Premiership after a fine beginning to the 2012/2013 season, but fans of the club believe that with Shittu and the additions promised by the management, the club would not miss it next time.