Yohanna leads young Nigerian talents to watch in 2026/27

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A fresh crop of young Nigerian footballers is set to headline the storylines of the 2026/27 season across Europe, with a Premier League new boy at the top of the pile, PETER AKINBO writes

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Yohanna (Brighton)

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Zadok Yohanna leads the pack after completing a big-money move to Brighton and Hove Albion from Swedish side AIK. The 19-year-old winger joined the Seagulls in a £21.5m deal, making him the most expensive player ever sold by a Swedish club.

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He managed five goals and four assists in 18 appearances for AIK before the move and is widely tipped as one of the most exciting Nigerian prospects to break into English football this season.

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Usor (LASK)

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Moses Usor continues to be one of Nigeria’s most productive exports in Austria. The 24-year-old winger, a product of 36 Lion FC in Lagos before spells at Slavia Prague and Slavia Prague B, has been LASK’s most potent attacking threat as the club chases a first Austrian Bundesliga title since the 1964/65 season.

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He scored 13 goals from a wide position last season, placing him among the division’s top scorers, and will be central to LASK’s title challenge again this term.

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Nwaiwu (Trabzonspor)

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Chibuike Nwaiwu has completed one of the fastest rises from the NPFL to a full Super Eagles cap in recent memory. The Port Harcourt-born centre-back began his senior career at Heartland before winning the NPFL title with Enyimba in the 2022/23 season, and his move to Austrian side Wolfsberger AC in 2024 yielded the club’s first-ever domestic cup.

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Trabzonspor paid a reported €5.5m to sign him in January, and he has since won another domestic cup in Turkey while earning his first senior caps for Nigeria, coming off the bench against Iran to replace the injured Igoh Ogbu.

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Fredrick (Brentford)

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Benjamin Fredrick’s rise was interrupted by a serious knee injury sustained while on loan at Belgian side FCV Dender last November, an injury that also cost him a place in Nigeria’s squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

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The 21-year-old defender, who had displaced captain William Troost-Ekong in the Super Eagles’ back four before the setback, made a full recovery over the close season and has since been promoted into Brentford’s first-team squad for 2026/27.

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He is yet to make his senior Brentford debut but is expected to push for game time as the season progresses, with an eye on reclaiming his Super Eagles place for September’s AFCON qualifiers.

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Okike (Hull City)

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Calvin Okike has emerged as one of Hull City’s brightest academy graduates. The 18-year-old defender, comfortable at left-back or centre-back, was named Hull’s academy Player of The Year for 2025/26 after a loan spell at Hartlepool United sharpened his game, and he signed his first professional contract with the Tigers this summer.

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