Chippa United goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has consistently been linked with a move to a bigger club after his heroics for the Nigeria National Team in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in Ivory Coast.
The Super Eagles reached the finals where they were narrowly beaten by the hosts. However, the custodian had already made his mark. The 28-year-old has reportedly attracted interest from overseas teams like Al-Ettifac of the Saudi Pro League and the English outfit Queens Park Rangers.
Locally, Kaizer Chiefs were heavily thought to be closer to signing the towering keeper from the Chilli Boys, only to go for former TS Galaxy shot stopper Fiacre Ntwari who has since failed to make a desired impact.
Former Amakhosi goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi has now shared a piece of advice to Nwabali who might be leaving the club in the next transfer window.
‘Your career can take a wrong and difficult direction'
“You can have as much talent as you want, you can have so many clubs knocking on your door. But if you don’t work hard, then you are not prepared to take them [opportunities],” he said as quoted by FARPost.
“Your career can take a wrong and a difficult direction if everything does not go down to working hard. I was at Chippa United for four years. And I worked hard for myself to get recognised and landed a move to Chiefs.
“As a goalkeeper who wants to rise, you need to keep challenging yourself. You must accept that you can learn at any age. If you keep challenging yourself and you keep trying to get better, this is how you actually improve yourself.
“He [Nwabali] has done well for himself and the national team. I think he has already established himself well enough to make a move. But he has to make sure the time is right and that the club is also right. I think this is the only way to have a successful career and actually make the most of it,” Akpeyi concluded.
