Iwobi, Bassey, Arokodare: Which Nigerian star on final EPL day missed Europe, got relegated?

The 2025-26 Premier League season finally came to an end on Sunday with Nigerian stars spread across title celebrations, European qualification heartbreak and painful relegation battles, Afrik-Foot reports.

While Ethan Nwaneri celebrated an Arsenal title triumph, players like Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey and Samuel Chukwueze narrowly missed out on Europe with Fulham.

Elsewhere, Tolu Arokodare endured relegation misery after Wolverhampton Wanderers’ difficult campaign finally ended in disappointment.

Several other players of Nigerian heritage also experienced very different endings to a dramatic Premier League season.

Ethan Nwaneri ends Arsenal’s 22-year wait

Arsenal were officially crowned Premier League champions after ending their 22-year title drought under Mikel Arteta. The Gunners secured the title on May 19 following a narrow 1-0 victory over Burnley FC, combined with Manchester City FC dropping points against AFC Bournemouth.

Teenage midfielder Nwaneri, who remains on the radar of Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle, will receive a winners’ medal despite spending the second half of the season on loan at Olympique de Marseille.

Premier League rules state that players must make at least five league appearances to automatically qualify for a medal, and the 19-year-old managed six substitute appearances before leaving in January.

Although competition increased after the arrivals of players like Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, Nwaneri still played an important squad role during the first half of the campaign.

He maintained a superb 92 per cent passing accuracy in the league and also featured in the UEFA Champions League and EFL Cup, scoring against Brighton & Hove Albion FC in the latter competition.

His loan spell in France became more difficult after a managerial change, but he still scored twice in nine appearances before returning to North London as a Premier League champion.

Fulham fall short despite strong Nigerian core

Fulham finished the season with a convincing 2-0 victory over Newcastle United FC at Craven Cottage, but it was not enough to secure European football.

Because both Sunderland and Brighton won on the final day, Fulham finished 11th and missed out on a top-eight finish despite one of their strongest Premier League campaigns in years.

The club’s Nigerian trio remained central to Marco Silva’s side throughout the season.

Bassey was arguably Fulham’s most reliable defender. The Super Eagles centre-back made 30 league appearances, completed 146 clearances and helped the team keep several crucial clean sheets during the run-in. His composure in possession also became vital to Fulham’s build-up play, finishing the season with an impressive 88 per cent passing accuracy.

Iwobi once again operated as Fulham’s creative engine in midfield. The former Arsenal man registered four goals and three assists in 29 league appearances while constantly linking midfield transitions to the attack. He created 39 chances during the campaign and remained one of Fulham’s most technically important players.

Chukwueze, meanwhile, enjoyed an encouraging debut season at Craven Cottage. Mostly used as an impact substitute, the winger produced three goals and four assists despite starting only 10 league games. His pace and dribbling regularly caused problems for tired defenders late in matches.

Fulham’s momentum, however, suffered badly during the Africa Cup of Nations period when all three Nigerian internationals were unavailable at the same time.

The absence of Bassey, Iwobi and Chukwueze during the winter months ultimately proved costly in the race for Europe.

Chelsea collapse costs Tosin Adarabioyo Europe

Chelsea endured one of the most disappointing endings to the season after missing out on European qualification completely.

The Blues entered the final day sitting eighth and occupying the UEFA Conference League spot, but a damaging 2-1 defeat against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light destroyed their hopes.

Trai Hume gave Sunderland the lead in the 24th minute before Malo Gusto’s own goal made it 2-0 shortly after the break. Cole Palmer briefly revived Chelsea with a goal in the 55th minute from a Pedro Neto assist, but Wesley Fofana’s red card six minutes later ended any hopes of a comeback.

Chelsea eventually dropped to 10th place with 52 points.

Tosin Adarabioyo would be disappointed by a campaign that reflected Chelsea’s inconsistency as much as his. The defender managed 16 league appearances and impressed at times with his passing ability and physical presence, especially during the first half of the season.

However, Chelsea’s defensive collapse during April and May reduced his influence, and he struggled to cement a permanent place ahead of Levi Colwill and Fofana.

Crystal Palace season ends in frustration for Christantus Uche

Crystal Palace finished a turbulent season with a 2-1 defeat against champions Arsenal at Selhurst Park. Goals from Gabriel Jesus and Madueke secured victory for the Gunners before Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a late consolation for Palace.

The Eagles eventually settled in 15th place after a campaign that started brightly but collapsed badly during winter.

One of the club’s disappointments was Nigerian midfielder Christantus Uche. Signed on loan from Getafe, Uche struggled badly for minutes under Oliver Glasner.

He made 14 league appearances but failed to start a single game, managing only 169 minutes all season with no goals or assists. Because he did not trigger the required number of starts, Palace are now expected to avoid the mandatory purchase clause in his deal.

Nottingham Forest survive with Aina and Awoniyi

Nottingham Forest successfully avoided relegation and ended the season in 16th place after a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth.

The club’s survival owed a lot to Nigerian duo Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi. Aina was one of Forest’s most dependable defenders before a hamstring injury threatened to end his season in April. Across 18 league appearances, he produced over 100 clearances and helped the club keep six clean sheets.

Awoniyi also delivered important moments despite limited minutes following his serious health struggles last year. The striker scored four league goals and produced a crucial brace away at Chelsea in a 3-1 victory that effectively secured Forest’s survival while damaging Chelsea’s European hopes.

Tolu Arokodare and Wolves suffer relegation

Wolverhampton Wanderers entered the final day already relegated after a miserable campaign near the bottom of the table.

Wolves finished inside the bottom three alongside Burnley and West Ham United after drawing 1-1 with Burnley at Turf Moor on the final day.

It was an even more unpleasant time in England for Arokodare. The season became increasingly difficult in his first season in England as Wolves struggled for consistency, goals and defensive stability throughout the year.

The Super Eagles striker showed flashes of physical presence and hold-up play during parts of the campaign, but Wolves’ problems ran much deeper than their attack.

By the closing weeks of the season, relegation had already become unavoidable, bringing a painful end to Wolves’ stay in the Premier League.