Deadline Day: Chukwueze & 4 Nigeria stars who could regret staying

A few Nigerian footballers could be paying extra attention in the final hours of the 2026 summer transfer window, Afrik-Foot reports.

A move can open the door to regular football, while staying at the wrong club can leave a player watching important matches from the bench. That is especially important for Nigerian players who need strong club form to keep their place in the Super Eagles.

Samuel Chukwueze, Femi Azeez and Victor Boniface are at very different stages of their careers. Chukwueze is fighting for a starting role at AC Milan. Azeez has just produced the best season of his career and now has a chance to step into the Premier League. Boniface is trying to rebuild his career after a serious knee problem and a poor loan spell.

Zadok Yohanna and Benjamin Fredrick face a different challenge. Both are young and have earned places around Premier League first teams, but regular senior football is difficult to find. A loan could give them the minutes that development at Brighton and Brentford cannot guarantee.

Nigeria stars facing a career-defining deadline

Samuel Chukwueze

Chukwueze has started the new season as a wing-back in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system. He started at Torino on Serie A’s matchday one and delivered the cross that allowed Adrien Rabiot to score AC Milan’s second goal in a 2-1 win.

He also started against Venezia on August 28. Milan won 2-0, with Chukwueze providing the pass that released Alexis Saelemaekers during one second-half attack.

That sounds positive, but the battle for the wide positions is serious. Saelemaekers is already trusted by Amorim, while Diego Moreira gives Milan another option. Chukwueze needs to turn his early opportunities into a regular starting role. If he does not, another season of inconsistent minutes could follow.

Femi Azeez

Azeez has perhaps the clearest reason to push for a transfer. The 25-year-old was named in the 2025/26 PFA Championship Team of the Year after scoring 11 league goals and providing seven assists for Millwall. He also scored twice against Oxford United on the final day to send Millwall into the playoffs.

Now Brighton are trying to take him to the Premier League. Two bids have already been rejected by Millwall, with the latest understood to be worth about £10m. Brighton are preparing to push again before the September 1 deadline.

Azeez has never had a better chance to make the jump. Staying at Millwall would give him another Championship season, but moving to Brighton would put him in a Premier League squad and test whether his Championship production can translate to the top level.

Victor Boniface

Boniface needs football more than almost anyone on this list. The Super Eagles striker spent last season on loan at Werder Bremen but made only 11 Bundesliga appearances and scored no goals. A recurring right-knee problem led to surgery in January and ended his campaign.

He returned to Leverkusen this summer and scored twice against SF Baumberg before coming off the bench to score the winner against Newcastle in the final pre-season game.

The problem is competition. Patrik Schick scored twice against Sevilla in pre-season and scored in the DFB-Pokal win at Wehen Wiesbaden. Christian Kofane also scored in that 4-0 cup victory. Both are competing for the same attacking minutes Boniface needs after his long layoff.

Boniface is fit again, but fitness alone is not enough. He needs a run of games to rebuild his sharpness and confidence.

Zadok Yohanna

Brighton signed Yohanna from AIK after he recorded five goals and four assists in 18 appearances in Sweden. The 19-year-old has now entered a Premier League squad packed with attacking options, including Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter, Evan Ferguson and Danny Welbeck.

His Premier League start has been modest. Yohanna came on against Aston Villa on August 23 and played 13 minutes in Brighton’s 4-0 win. He also had limited minutes in the Conference League.

That is why a loan could make sense. Yohanna does not need to prove that he belongs in Brighton’s long-term plans yet. He needs competitive football. A full season playing regularly could prepare him for a much larger role when he returns.

Benjamin Fredrick

Fredrick has already earned a major reward at Brentford. The Nigerian defender was promoted to the first-team squad in July and signed a new four-year contract, with a club option for another season.

His development has been strong. He helped Brentford B win the Under-21 Professional Development League title in 2025 and spent last season on loan at FCV Dender, where he made 15 appearances before a knee injury ended the spell early.

The next step is senior football. Staying at Brentford gives him access to Premier League coaching, but breaking into the matchday squad will be difficult. A loan to a club where he can start every week could give the 21-year-old the experience he needs much faster.