Super Eagles head coach Finidi George has revealed the 23 players he intends to take to battle against South Africa and the Benin Republic next month.
The two games are ‘must-win’ encounters as Nigeria look to get their World Cup qualifying campaign back on track.
To get the results Nigeria badly need, coach Finidi has put his faith in three goalkeepers, six defenders, six midfielders, and eight attackers.
Of the six midfielders, four – Raphael Onyedika, Alex Iwobi, Frank Onyeka, and Alhassan Yuauf – were at the 2023 AFCON while the other, Wilfred Ndidi, only missed the tournament due to injury. And then there is Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.
An efficient centre-midfielder with significant creative juice, Dele-Bashiru is in the Super Eagles to understudy Fulham playmaker Iwobi.
The 23-year-old midfield dynamo earned his first international call-up from former Eagles coach Jose Peseiro last year.
Peseiro handed him his Super Eagles debut in the international friendly against Mozambique in October. By the time Iwobi was introduced in the 74th minute, the Super Eagles had already scored three goals, with Dele-Bashiru assisting the second goal scored by Frank Onyeka.
Dele-Bashiru was selected in Nigeria’s provisional squad for the AFCON but he eventually missed out on the final roster for the tournament.
Finidi, then as caretaker coach, called up Dele-Bashiru during the March international break but did not give the Hamburg-born midfielder any minute against Ghana or Mali.
However, the former AFC Ajax winger may have seen enough of Dele-Bashiru’s quality to
offer him his first invitation for a competitive fixture.
Needless to say, Dele-Bashiru’s call-up has been well deserved. The former Sheffield Wednesday star has been one of the standout performers for struggling Hatayspor.
Dele-Bashiru has managed seven goals and three assists in 35 games for a Hatayspor side that could be relegated even with a win over Reizespor on the last day of the Turkish Super Lig on Sunday.
Interestingly, one of the Rizespor players who could send Hatayspor to the second division is Ibrahim Olawoyin.
Rizespor, sitting in 9th place with 50 points are safe from relegation troubles but this is Olawoyin’s chance to outshine Dele-Bashiru and send an unworded message to the Super Eagles handlers who have continually snubbed him.
The 26-year-old has been one of the best midfielders in the Turkish top flight, registering eight goals and three assists.
An all-round midfielder who thrives in the centre of the park and anywhere behind the top striker, Olawoyin is not one for the future but a ready-made alternative to Iwobi.
The former Enugu Rangers star is a good dribbler, is a solid tackler, is decent in threading through passes, and packs a fierce shot in his right foot.
It will be a surprise if he remains in Rizespor next season as his consistently good displays would have likely attracted the attention of bigger clubs in Turkey and beyond.
Olawoyin was called up to the national team fold but he did not make his debut during Nigeria’s 4-0 friendly defeat to Mexico in 2021.
But he has matured and garnered even more experience since then and should very much be on the radar of the Super Eagles coaching crew as Finidi aims to build an excellent national team.
However, as Finidi looks to transition the Eagles from a defensive-first team to an attacking side, the former Real Betis ace would need more of Olawoyin and Dele-Bashiru in the Super Eagles.
It should not be a case of one or the other. Inviting four defensive midfielders in the ilk of Yusuf, Ndidi, Onyeka, and Onyedika is one too many.
Finidi will be headed in the right direction if he puts together an intelligent midfield that can create chances for the excellent strikers at his disposal. And including more attacking midfielders in the mould of Olawoyin and Dele-Bashiru would do his Super Eagles a world of good.