These Nigerian players could make a mark on second-half of EPL

Now that the FIFA World Cup is over, with a Lionel Messi led Argentina bringing the trophy back from Qatar, the English Premier League can finally resume. As the 2022 edition of the World Cup was located in the Middle East with its exceptionally scorching summers, it had to take place during the winter. This forced all of the top European leagues to be put on hold while the prestigious international tournament was playing. 

With the Premier League kicking off again now though, in the coming weeks it’s going to be extremely interesting seeing what affect the break will have had on each team. The Super Eagles unfortunately weren’t at this edition of the World Cup, but that means that every Nigerian player who plays in the Premier League will be fully rested, and could have a big impact going forward for their respective teams. 

So, let’s take a dive into which Nigerian players could make a massive mark on the second-half of the 2022/23 Premier League season. 

Alex Iwobi – Everton 

The 26-year-old Alex Iwobi has been a mainstay of the Premier League for a while now, with him beginning his career at London side, Arsenal. In fact, he was there at the same time as the now World Cup winning Argentinian keeper Emiliano Martinez, who he recently congratulated for his incredible conquest, as we reported on here at allnigeriasoccer.com. The Lagos born midfielder made the move to Everton in 2019 though, and has become one of their key players. 

It will be a nervy second-half of the season for Everton fans, as they’re only a single point above the relegation zone at the time of writing. Despite these struggles, Iwobi has been a revelation under Frank Lampard’s tutorage, with the rookie manager moving him from the wing into a central role, where his dominant runs through the middle have had great effect. Everton will definitely be looking towards Iwobi’s masterful midfield talents to help power them up the table. 

Taiwo Awoniyi – Nottingham Forest 

Nottingham Forest are one of the true sleeping giants of English soccer, with them having won the Champions League twice in their history, back in the late 70’s, when it was still known as the European Cup. They’ve spent many lean years in the wilderness since then though, and were actually only promoted up from the Championship at the end of last season, making this their first season back in the Premier League for over 20 years. 

Taiwo Awoniyi had the honour of becoming Forest’s highest transfer record, when he signed for the club back in June 2022 for a reported £17 million. The 25-year-old forward has taken a while to get used to the English league, but he did score an incredibly important goal against Liverpool in October, which got them an unexpected three points, which was reported over at https://www.skysports.com/. 

That massive goal has shown that Awoniyi has the class needed to score against the top teams in the division, and Forest will need many more of these strikes if they want to stave off relegation come the end of May. Will Awoniyi rise to the occasion then, and become a Forest legend?

Frank Onyeka – Brentford 

Brentford have been a breathe of fresh air since they got promoted to the Premier League in the summer of 2021. Their attacking brand of soccer has both managed to be easy on the eye, whilst also being mighty successful at keeping them in the league. The 25-year-old midfielder Frank Onyeka has been a crucial part of that journey, with manager Thomas Frank entrusting him to do the dirty work in the middle of the pitch for his side, allowing the more flair players to work their magic. 

Onyeka’s steely resolve could even see Brentford finish comfortably mid-table, and that’s why they’re currently priced at the long odds of 15/2 to finish in the bottom three. If you enjoy having a flutter on the soccer, then you can pop over to https://www.sbo.net/football/ to find all the top online bookmakers for betting on the sport. There’s also a handy guide, showcasing how to best bet on everything from elite leagues, all the way to regional competitions. Plus, they’ve highlighted loads of bonus offers available for punters, including cash-back deals.