Super Eagles vs Russia: 2 surprise call-ups who could emerge as Chelle’s next stars

The Super Eagles squad to face Russia on Tuesday has been hit with a mild shake-up, as two youngsters receive unexpected opportunities to push their names into coach Eric Chelle’s plans, Afrik-Foot reports.

Vince Osuji and John Otomewo have been called up after Wilfred Ndidi and Akpe Victory withdrew from Nigeria’s squad ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against Russia at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.

Their arrivals give Eric Chelle, whose Super Eagles team recently suffered a bruising defeat to Guinea-Bissau, two radically different profiles. Osuji, 20, is a 1.88m centre-back who joined Norwegian side Tromsø from Club Brugge in August after his development in Belgium and Sweden.

The defender has already stepped into senior European football with impressive speed, starting Tromsø’s 0-0 draw with Sarpsborg 08 on August 30 and accumulating 138 Eliteserien minutes across three appearances this season.

Osuji’s Super Eagles route is already gathering momentum

Osuji’s attraction lies partly in his unusual career curve. Club Brugge signed him to a contract running until 2029 after his breakthrough with Kalmar FF in Sweden, but he spent much of his Belgian spell developing with Club NXT before moving to Tromsø for regular first-team football.

Russia therefore offers the Lagos-born defender a chance to turn club-level progress into an international breakthrough, particularly with Victory unavailable and several established defenders missing from Chelle’s squad.

Otomewo’s story is even more striking.

The 19-year-old defensive midfielder moved from Hapoel Jerusalem to Stade de Reims in July on a contract until 2031 after progressing from Abia Comets and Gombe United.

Otomewo gets a midfield audition

Reims recruited Otomewo after the CIES Football Observatory placed him among the top three under-21 midfielders playing outside Europe’s five major leagues.

His first months in France have been more gradual, with five Ligue 2 appearances and 136 minutes, all coming as a substitute.

Yet Ndidi’s withdrawal has suddenly opened a door that did not exist when Chelle first named his squad.

Osuji can attack the centre-back vacancy created by Victory’s injury, while Otomewo offers Chelle a young defensive-midfield option after Nigeria lost its established anchor.

Neither youngster was originally part of the plan. Both now have a stage large enough to change it.