According to the BBC, Kelechi Nwakali is currently stuck in Nigeria unable to return to loan club Porto due to an ongoing visa issue.
The 20-year-old midfielder moved to the Estadio do Dragao last summer and has featured for their B side on 16 occasions.
Nwakali left Portugal in March to play an Olympic qualifier in his homeland. On attempting to return to Lisbon he was informed that he only had a single-entry visa and attempts to secure a new visa have taken longer than expected.
The Nigerian Football Federation is trying to lend a hand but it’s a serious frustration for the player at the business end of the season. He’s apparently missed four games already.
Nwakali signed for the Gunners in 2016 and is currently undertaking his third loan move after two spells in Holland. Fellow under-17 World Cup winner Samuel Chukwueze was due to sign at the same time but a deal fell through late in the day. The latter subsequently moved to Villarreal and has since been turning heads in La Liga and the Europa League.
Nwakali’s development suggests that he’s unlikely to make it at Arsenal. Porto have an option to buy him this summer but it’ll be interesting to see if these visa problems hinder that.
Ffs
How do people not know the nature of the visa issued until they try to reuse it? Honestly baffling.
I have a LOT of Nigerian friends that have battled to get VISAs to travel internationally in the last year.
Really sorry for Nwakali. Had high hopes for him after his u17 World Cup Golden Boot gong… Hope it comes right for him.