Despite reports suggesting he could feature in Eric Chelle's first provisional squad as Super Eagles head coach., Chelsea loanee Lesley Ugochukwu has not made a decision regarding his international allegiance.
Reports in local media had claimed that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) was pushing to secure the Franco-Nigerian and Carney Chukwuemeka for the national team.
However, a family member, speaking through journalist Ojora Babatunde, dismissed these claims, stating, “We haven’t received any call from anyone. Lesley’s focus is solely on his club. We’re not aware of any provisional list, nor has he submitted any documents for a nationality switch.”
Further clarifying the situation, BBC journalist Oluwashina Okeleji quoted an NFF official who emphasized that only the federation can apply for a player’s nationality switch. “Only a federation can apply on behalf of players if they intend to switch. The news circulating now is fake,” the official stated.
Ugochukwu focused on club football amid Super Eagles interest
Born in Rennes to Nigerian parents, the 20-year-old has represented France at multiple youth levels, from U-18 to U-23.
He became provisionally cap-tied to France after making his competitive debut in a European U-19 Championship qualifier against Kazakhstan in November 2022.
Since joining Chelsea from Rennes in 2023, Ugochukwu has struggled to secure regular minutes, making just 15 appearances across all competitions. To gain more first-team experience, he joined Southampton on loan in the summer of 2024.
This season in the Premier League, the midfielder has played 14 matches, accumulating a total of 746 minutes. His contributions include one assist, 2.3 tackles per game, 0.4 possessions won, and 2.4 ball recoveries per match.
Ugochukwu, currently on loan at the St Marys, is the nephew of former Super Eagles defender and 2008 Olympic silver medalist Onyekachi Apam.
