Gifted Arsenal youngster and Nnadi draw Eric Chelle’s attention to Marseille

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has stepped up his close monitoring of Nigeria-eligible talents in France after attending Marseille’s emphatic Coupe de France victory over Rennes at the Orange Vélodrome, Afrik-Foot reports.

Chelle was one of the thousands of fans inside the iconic stadium on Tuesday night as Marseille sealed a 3–0 win to book a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.

But beyond the result, the Nigerian coach’s focus was firmly on two players with strong Super Eagles connections: Arsenal loanee Ethan Nwaneri and newly-signed midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by E.S.Chelle (@eric_chelle)

Nwaneri, born in North London to Nigerian parents, remains eligible to represent both England and Nigeria.

Already a regular for England’s youth sides from Under-16 to Under-21 level, the highly rated attacker has built an impressive record, scoring 25 goals across various youth international competitions.

His January loan move from Arsenal to Marseille has given Eric Chelle a perfect opportunity to watch him closely. The teenager made an instant impact in France by scoring just 13 minutes into his debut against Lens, and continued to attract attention with another start against Rennes.

Eric Chelle checks Nwaneri progress as Nnadi settles in

In what was Nwaneri’s third outing for the French giants, he featured for 45 minutes before being replaced by Bilal Nadir after picking up a first-half booking. While his performance was steady rather than spectacular, his presence is a pointer to why Chelle is keen to keep him firmly on Nigeria’s radar.

Nwaneri remains open to pulling on the Super Eagles shirt, although England still hold an advantage in the race for his long-term international future.

Marseille’s other Nigerian link, Tochukwu Nnadi, was not available for the cup tie after failing to be registered in time following his deadline-day move from Belgian side Zulte Waregem. The midfielder has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with the 1993 European champions, ending a two-year spell in Belgium.

Chelle already knows Nnadi well, having handed him his Super Eagles debut at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in December.

After the match, the coach shared a photo on Instagram alongside the midfielder, writing: “Evening at the Velodrome for OM v Rennes. Glad to have welcomed Nnadi, new face to Marseille.”

Eric Chelle is expected to continue keeping a close eye on Marseille, who next face champions Paris Saint-Germain, as Nigeria’s talent pool in Europe continues to grow.