Super Eagles coach tips Nigeria to win AFCON 2023 after big transfers for Nigerian players

Assistant coach of the Super Eagles Usman Abdullah has made a big claim that the Nigerian national team is poised to win the upcoming 2023 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The 48-year-old coach believes that the transfer activity surrounding Nigerian international players during the 2022 summer transfer window is an advantage to the Super Eagles.

Super Eagles players such as Joe Aribo, Calvin Bassey, Taiwo Awoniyi, Cyriel Dessers, Ademola Lookman, and Emmanuel Dennis have all secured big moves this summer.

The NPFL-winning coach stated that with the recent transfer moves, the Super Eagles have now emerged as favourites to win AFCON 2023.

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In an interview with Goal, Abdallah agreed that the Super Eagles' transfer moves serve as confirmation that Nigerian players are doing well and are closer to bringing back the glory days of the Super Eagles.

While commenting specifically on Aribo's transfer to Southampton, Abdallah said: "This [transfer] is an excellent development and it is a strong indication that our players are doing very well.

“It is also a challenge for us [Super Eagles coaches] to produce a strong national team that can bring back the country’s glory days."

Abdallah went on to posit that with the current crop of players, everything is in favour of the Super Eagles of Nigeria to emerge as the next champions of Africa.

The UEFA A licensed coach also hoped that the recent success of Nigerian players in the transfer market will motivate others to try harder and also secure big moves.

“Our focus is the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire and with the squad on ground, we are favourites to emerge as African champions," the Super Eagles assistant coach said.

“Right now, everything is working in our favour as we have a world-class squad and we cannot afford to let Nigerians down.

“Ultimately, we hope these big transfers motivate other players to do well so they can be signed by top European clubs in future.”

The Super Eagles started their qualification journey to the AFCON 2023 tournament on a positive note, picking up two wins against Sierra Leone and Sao Tome & Principe.

Their Matchday 2 fixture against Sao Tome & Principe was a record-setting one as the Super Eagles recorded their biggest-ever victory on the international stage with a 10-0 thrashing of Sao Tome & Principe.