FC Porto of Portugal midfielder, Kelechi Nwakali has disclosed that former Super Eagles winger, Emmanuel Amuneke has played a key role in motivating him to excel in his fast-rising career.
As he settles down to convince Porto to give him a full contract, at the end of his current deal on loan from Arsenal of England, Nwakali says he is motivated by Amuneke’s tips.
Nwakali recounted how happy he was when Amuneke, as coach of Nigeria’s cadet national team, Golden Eaglets, named him captain of the side and they went on to win the FIFA U-17 World Cup of 2015 in Chile.
Although that appears long ago, Nwakali, who has played on loan at MVV Maastricht and VV Van Venlo of Holland over the past two seasons, says he still remembers some useful words of advice he got from Amuneke.
While Nwakali is expected to return to Arsenal and lay claim to a spot in their main team, now that he has appearances with the Super Eagles to flaunt, Porto are ready to buy him for €4m should he make more than 10 appearances for their first team.
So far, Nwakali has made four appearances for Porto’s B-team and says he has a strong desire to play for The Gunners, where he believes Amuneke’s tips will help him improve on his game.
Nwakali disclosed: “Coach Amuneke once taught me that every chance you get, you should learn. So, that is it for me here at FC Porto. I came here to add to my knowledge.
“It is a good move for me. It’s the kind of improvement for me to keep developing and that will be until I get my work permit and have a chance to play in England.”
