Alex Iwobi vs Mikel & Kanu: 5 Premier League records to extend or break in 2026-27

Alex Iwobi will start the 2026-27 Premier League season with several records already attached to his name, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Fulham midfielder is now the most experienced Nigerian in the history of England’s top flight, having moved past Shola Ameobi during the 2025-26 campaign.

The Premier League’s official statistics list Iwobi on 320 appearances, 35 goals and 41 assists after 11 seasons with Arsenal, Everton and Fulham. He has also started 257 of those matches and played more than 22,000 minutes.

One of the Super Eagles’ finest playmakers, Iwobi’s rise to the top of the Nigerian appearance list has been gradual. He made his Premier League debut for Arsenal against Swansea City in October 2015. Almost 10 years later, he set the appearance record against the same club he joined as a teenager when Fulham faced Arsenal at Craven Cottage in October 2025. He played the full 90 minutes in that match to reach 299 appearances and pass Ameobi’s 298.

Alex Iwobi is now in a position where the 2026-27 campaign could add at least one more important Nigerian record to his collection. Some would be new marks, while others would see him push his existing records further away from the players who held them before him.

Alex Iwobi: Most Premier League appearances by a Nigerian

This is the clearest record Alex Iwobi can extend. He enters the new season with 320 Premier League appearances. Ameobi is second on 298, followed by Super Eagles great Nwankwo Kanu on 273, Yakubu Aiyegbeni on 252 and John Obi Mikel on 249. That gives Iwobi a 22-match advantage over Ameobi. A full 38-game season would therefore give him a chance to push the Nigerian record towards 350 appearances.

Iwobi’s consistency has been important. He played all 38 league matches for Fulham in 2024-25, starting 35 of them and scoring nine goals. In 2025-26, he played 29 league matches and started all 29. If Fulham continue to use him regularly, every appearance will make the record harder for the next Nigerian player to catch.

Most Premier League minutes by a Nigerian

Alex Iwobi can also extend his record for minutes played. He overtook Mikel Obi in April 2024 during Fulham’s 1-0 defeat by Newcastle United at Craven Cottage. Iwobi played the entire match and reached 16,289 minutes, passing Mikel’s previous Nigerian record of 16,218.

His total has since climbed to more than 22,000 minutes. Transfermarkt records 22,248 Premier League minutes for Iwobi after the 2025-26 season.

Mikel built his total during 249 league appearances for Chelsea between 2006 and 2017. Iwobi has spread his minutes across Arsenal, Everton and Fulham, making his record particularly notable because he has played for three Premier League clubs.

Playing another 2,500 to 3,000 minutes in 2026-27 would take Iwobi close to the 25,000-minute mark.

Most Premier League starts by a Nigerian

Alex Iwobi has already moved ahead in another important category: starts. The latest career data lists him with 257 Premier League starts. Yakubu is second among Nigerians with 216, while Joseph Yobo made 212 starts in his 228 appearances. Mikel made 183 starts in 249 Premier League matches.

That means Iwobi has a 41-start advantage over Yakubu. His recent Fulham record makes another strong season possible. He started all 38 league games in 2024-25 and all 29 he played in 2025-26. If he starts 30 or more matches in the coming campaign, Iwobi could push the record beyond 285 starts.

That figure would show how his role has changed during his career. At Arsenal he was often used as an attacking substitute, while at Everton and especially Fulham he became a regular starter.

Most Premier League assists by a Nigerian

Alex Iwobi has also taken control of the Nigerian assists record. He moved level with Kanu on 29 assists in April 2024 after setting up Andreas Pereira in Fulham’s 2-0 victory over West Ham United. That result also gave Iwobi his 100th Premier League win.

He then moved clear of Kanu later that year. His assist for Emile Smith Rowe against Newcastle United at Craven Cottage took him to 30. The Premier League’s current statistics put Iwobi on 38 assists. Kanu finished his career with 29, Yakubu had 26 and Ameobi had 20.

Iwobi’s best single Premier League season for assists came in 2024-25, when he provided six while scoring nine goals. He also produced three assists in 2025-26. Another six or seven assists would take him beyond 44 and give him an even larger lead at the top of Nigeria’s all-time list.

Most Premier League wins by a Nigerian

The most difficult record on this list is the one Alex Iwobi has not yet taken from John Obi Mikel.

Mikel finished his Premier League career with 149 wins from 249 appearances for Chelsea. Kanu recorded 113 wins, Ameobi 105 and Victor Moses 103. Iwobi reached 100 wins in April 2024, becoming the fifth Nigerian to hit that mark.

Iwobi therefore needs roughly 34 more victories to pass Mikel’s 149. That is a demanding target. A Premier League club can play 38 league matches in a season, so Iwobi would need Fulham to win almost every match in which he features. His 2025-26 campaign included several important victories, including Fulham’s 3-1 comeback against Brentford in September 2025, when Iwobi scored and assisted Harry Wilson.

The record is therefore possible mathematically, but it would require an exceptional season from both Iwobi and Fulham.

Iwobi has already rewritten several Nigerian Premier League records during his career. The 2026-27 season gives him another chance to widen those gaps, while a dramatic improvement in Fulham’s results could put Mikel’s 149-win mark within reach.