13 Nigerian players on the brink of relegation from Europe’s top 5 leagues

The football season in mainstream Europe is winding to an end and as we approach the business end of the season, the reality of relegation dawns clearer on the teams and players involved.

As of right now, there are 13 Nigerian players or players of Nigerian descent who face a serious threat of relegation from the first division in a top-five league, with the exception of the Spanish League which doesn’t have any.

Seven of those players ply their trades in the English Premier League but with the way it’s going, they may all well be in the Championship by next season.

Irish-Nigerian duo Adam Idah and Andrew Omobamidele have both featured sparingly and scored a goal each for Norwich this season but the Canaries remain firmly rooted at the bottom of the table.

Norwich only has 18 points from 30 games this season and are seven points away from safety, looking more than likely to go down.

Four points and two spots above Norwich is Watford in 18th with their Nigerian quartet of Samuel Kalu, William Troost-Ekong, Oghenekaro Etebo and top-scorer Emmanuel Dennis.

Watford are only three points away from safety but the problem is that Everton has two games in hand and could potentially extend that gap.

Speaking of Everton, they are 17th, technically safe but just three points clear which means Alex Iwobi could be getting relegated if something goes wrong.

But with two games in hand, it means Everton still has 10 games to try and dig themselves out of this hole.

As it stands, there are no Nigerian players currently in the relegation zone in the French Ligue 1, but Lorient are very much in the battle.

Lorient currently sits 16th on the table with Terem Moffi and Innocent Bonke in their ranks but they are not safe in any sense of the word.

They are only one point ahead of Saint Etienne in 18th which is the spot for a relegation playoff while the bottom two teams get automatically relegated.

Greuther Furth are bottom of the German League, 11 points away from safety with six games left to play, they look destined for relegation.

Perhaps the poor form of Nigerian striker Dickson Abiama has played a part. He has failed to score a single goal so far this season in 19 league games.

Augsburg have a Nigerian player on the roster, 25-year old winger Noah Joel Sarenren Bazee and they are currently three points above the relegation zone with a game in hand.

Venezia look primed for an instant return to Serie B as they currently sit 19th on the Serie A table, three points away from safety despite the best efforts of Nigerian duo, David Okereke and Tyronne Ebuehi.

While Okereke and Ebuehi still have hopes of avoiding relegation, Joel Obi cannot say the same. Salernitana have been the whipping boys of the Serie A since gaining promotion this season.

They are bottom of the table, nine points behind Cagliari in 17th who also have two games in hand, it’s hard to see how they survive this.