The Stade Vélodrome has a new engine in its midfield, and if Super Eagles tactician Eric Chelle is to be believed, the arrival of Tochukwu Nnadi is less of a gamble and more of a long-awaited inevitability.
Following Nnadi’s €6 million switch from Belgian side Zulte Waregem to Olympique Marseille, Chelle has publicly thrown his weight behind the 22-year-old, suggesting that the midfielder’s talent had outgrown the Belgian Pro League long before the ink dried on his new contract.
Marseille secured the Nigerian international on a marquee deal that ties him to the French giants until June 2030. The length of the contract signals a profound level of trust from the OM hierarchy in Nnadi’s ceiling.
Nnadi, who rose to prominence under Chelle’s tutelage during Nigeria’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign in Morocco, is viewed as the prototypical modern defensive specialist.
Speaking with the French outlet L’Équipe, Chelle didn’t hold back in his assessment of the player’s physical and tactical profile. For the Super Eagles coach, Nnadi represents the elite defensive steel that Marseille has been craving.
“I thought he should have been playing in a bigger league a long time ago,” Chelle remarked. “He’s fast, strong, aggressive in winning the ball back, and can make a lot of interceptions.”
While Nnadi’s international resume is still in its infancy—highlighted by a singular appearance during the 2025 AFCON—this move to the South of France is expected to be the catalyst for his permanent integration into the Nigerian starting XI.
By testing himself against the elite of Ligue 1, Nnadi isn’t just upgrading his club status; he’s positioning himself as a cornerstone for the future of the Super Eagles’ midfield.
