7 Nigerian players who contributed to Chelsea's success from 1997 to date

Young talented Super Eagles prospect, Carney Chukwuemeka joined Premier League giants Chelsea on Tuesday, July 2 for a reported fee of £20m including add-ons.

The highly rated teenage sensation becomes the sixth player of Nigerian descent to have signed for the London club.

In this piece, we put the spotlight on Nigerian players who have signed for The Blues.

Some had a good spell with the club winning prestigious titles while others failed to break through the club's first team.

Celestine Babayaro

The ex-Super Eagles defender and defensive midfielder spent most of his club career playing in the English Premier League for Chelsea.

He played for The Blues from 1997 to 2005. Babayaro scored 5 goals in 132 appearances for Chelsea.

John Mikel Obi

Mikel signed for The Blues in 2006 in what was a controversial transfer between Chelsea and Manchester United. He spent eleven years at the club winning the Champions League, the Premier League, Europa League, the FA Cup, and the League Cup.

Mikel managed a single goal in 249 appearances for Chelsea.

Victor Moses

Moses joined The Blues in 2012 from Wigan Athletics. The 31-year-old who currently plies his trade for Russian side Spartak Moscow spent nine years at Chelsea. He scored 7 goals in 87 appearances for the club.

Kenneth Omeruo

The Leganes defender also signed for Chelsea from Belgium club Standard Liege in 2012. He was sent on loan to Dutch top-flight side ADO Den Haag.

The Super Eagles defender never featured for The Blues. He went on several loan spells and later joined Leganes on a permanent deal in 2019.

Ola Aina

Aina signed for Chelsea's youth side as an Under 11 player in 2007.

Aina made 3 appearances for the first team before being loaned to Hull City in 2017.

Carney Chukwuemeka

The highly rated youngster is the latest player of Nigerian descent to sign for Chelsea.

The 18-year-old joined the Londoners from Premier League rival Aston Villa.

The midfielder was been courted by top clubs like Barcelona, PSG, Arsenal, and Manchester United.

The midfielder was a key member of the England team that won the UEFA European Under-19 Championship, scoring in the final against Israel in a 3-1 win.

Chukwuemeka is of Igbo descent. He was born in Austria to Nigerian parents and was raised in Northampton, England. He is eligible to play for Nigeria at the senior level.

WDN/NBA