Lesley Ugochukwu: Fatherland Beckons

 After France Snub  

Having played for France at various age-grade levels, Nigeria-eligible Lesley Ugochukwu is on the verge of switching international allegiance. Now 22 years old and with a senior invitation to Les Bleus very remote, his chances of making the French squad look highly improbable and the Super Eagles is now an option, and according to FIFA rules, he is still eligible to star for Nigeria 

The eggheads of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have long been pursuing the former Chelsea midfielder, Lesley Ugochukwu, to convince him to switch his international allegiance from France to Nigeria. Meanwhile, the Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle has publicly kept the door open for the 22-year-old mid-fielder to represent Nigeria.

Born in Rennes to Nigerian parents, Ugochukwu has represented his country of birth at U18, U19, U20, U21 and U23 levels.

The 22-year-old became provisionally cap-tied to France after making his competitive debut for their youth team in a European U19 Championship qualifier against Kazakhstan in November 2022.

Lesley hopes to earn a place in France’s senior squad in the near future, making it a challenging task for the Nigeria Football Federation to persuade him to switch his allegiance to Nigeria.

However, that might change now as the player with dual nationality is set to switch allegiance to Nigeria now and the Malian-born Super Eagles coach, Chelle will get a new option to pick from.

This comes as the former Chelsea midfielder, Ugochukwu has taken his first few steps to switch allegiance from France to Nigeria.

The 22-year-old midfielder was born in France to Nigerian parents, and he represented France at youth level.

However, he is 22 now and cannot play youth-level football anymore. He is due for the senior team, but he is yet to get an official call-up to the senior team, Les Bleus. But according to FIFA rules, a player can still switch allegiance to Nigeria. As a result, the Super Eagles door is still open.

It appears that the former Chelsea man is willing to try that route. In the summer, he was in Nigeria, and was even spotted playing football with Super Eagles star Kelechi Iheanacho in Owerri.

Now, reports have emerged that he has started the process of acquiring his Nigerian passport which will make him a bonafide Nigerian.

Once Ugochukwu gets his Nigerian passport, the next thing for him will be to switch his nationality with world football governing body FIFA so he can start playing for the Super Eagles.

A player of Ugochukwu’s profile would be a good fit for Chelle’s system and he can give Nigeria a few good years.

The 22-year-old is originally a defensive midfielder, but he is more of a box-to-box player. He is physically strong, has composure on the ball, and is a decent carrier. The Rennes academy product also has the work rate which is needed to thrive in Chelle’s system.

His switch to the Super Eagles would provide healthy competition and depth in Nigeria’s midfield, and he can also chip in with the odd goal.

Meanwhile, Galatasaray have confirmed former Chelsea midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu has joined them on loan from Burnley in a deal that could eventually be worth £25.5m.

The Turkish club said in a statement that they have agreed to pay a £3m loan fee this season for the Clarets’ record signing.

They also have the option of making the deal permanent next summer for another £22.5m or his transfer becomes obligatory if Ugochukwu makes 25 appearances.

Burnley need to sell after being relegated from the Premier League and Ugochukwu flew into Istanbul from Paris penultimate Monday night on a private jet to complete the deal.

The former France Under-21 international has passed a medical and Galatasaray say he has agreed a contract worth £2.25m a year.

Ugochukwu, 22, told Galatasaray’s YouTube Channel: “I’m proud to be here. I’m very happy. I’ve come to a very big team. Since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to play for big clubs. Coming to this big club completes this happiness for me. I can’t wait to meet our fans and get to know everyone.”

Burnley paid a club record £25m for Ugochukwu when they signed him from Chelsea last summer.

Ugochukwu, who spent the 2024-25 campaign on loan at Southampton, made 35 Premier League appearances last season under former manager Scott Parker in their unsuccessful campaign to avoid relegation.

How well Ugochukwu will fit into the Super Eagles when he finally completes his international switch remains to be seen.