One of the longest-running transfer sagas this year has been centred on Stanley Nwabali. After months of being linked with various clubs, the goalkeeper’s future is now settled: he will be staying at Chippa United.
Nwabali’s stock shot up when he starred at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024) in the Ivory Coast at the start of the year. Prior to that, he was not known much and was rated very little by fans of the Super Eagles.
However, the 28-year-old came into the national team at a time when the goalkeeping department was badly lacking quality and he grabbed his chance with both hands when Jose Peseiro put him ahead of Francis Uzoho in the pecking order.
While Nwabali currently has the number one position locked down at the international level, many were expecting him to capitalise on the currency he earned from the AFCON to take the next step in his career by moving to a more elite club or a bigger league.
AFCON performance not enough to justify Nwabali’s world-class status
That, though, is now off the table after the goalkeeper put pen to paper on a new three-year contract at Chippa United.
His new terms come with improved wages and the club’s captaincy, but it also shows Stanley Nwabali might have been overrated all along.
It’s commendable that Nwabali has been able to usurp Uzoho and hold off the competition from the returning Maduka Okoye, who’s comfortably Nigeria’s best goalkeeper in Europe at the moment. He also proved at the AFCON that despite being a late bloomer, he has the temperament to shine on the biggest stage.
But to be truly recognised as a shot-stopper worth his salt, Nwabali needs to prove himself away from the national team. The world is not short of “tournament wonders,” who are only at their best for their countries but never manage to kick on at their clubs.
Nwabali’s AFCON displays, which included four clean sheets, opened up his talent to the world, but his stay at Chippa United means he’s returned to his old status as an unknown quantity whose star will only shine during the international break when he teams up with the Super Eagles.
The bottom line is that whatever quality he showed at the AFCON does not justify his status as a world-class shot-stopper. He needs to do it at a bigger club but that is an opportunity that has now passed him by.
Lack of concrete offers for Stanley Nwabali
Another reason why Stanley Nwabali might be overrated is the lack of concrete offers that came his way even when the goalkeeper and Chippa United were literally begging for a suitor to step forward.
While there was interest from Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, Queens Park Rangers and Al Ettifaq, none of the aforementioned clubs officially put in a bid for Nwabali.
That much was confirmed by Chippa United assistant coach Thabo September, who said there was “nothing on the table” for the Nigerian. Is it that that all the clubs didn’t find him good enough or that they didn’t think he was worthy of his €1.5 million valuation?
Whatever the situation actually was, it says a lot about Nwabali that he couldn’t secure a move away from Chippa United on the back of his strong performance for Nigeria at the AFCON. Even if not a transfer to Europe, swapping Chippa United for any of the PSL’s traditional heavyweights would’ve marked a significant step.
The goalkeeper’s new contract is likely his last big pay cheque, as he’ll be 31 by the time it runs out in 2027. But perhaps this is, and has always been, Nwabali’s true level and the comparisons with the legendary Vincent Enyeama were premature.