With the majority of Europe’s major leagues now closed for transfer business, plenty of Nigerian players made moves this summer, some permanent, some on loan.
In this feature, Footy-Africa looks at six of the deals that stood out, from a record-breaking teenager in Sweden to a striker escaping a nightmare in the south of France.
Akor Adams – Sevilla to Venezia
Venezia handed Akor Adams a four-year contract after agreeing a permanent deal with Sevilla, with the fee understood to be around €16 million guaranteed, potentially rising past €20 million with add-ons. It’s the biggest signing in Venezia’s history.
Adams leaves Spain having scored 10 goals and set up four more in 37 appearances since arriving from Montpellier in January 2025, and now walks into a No. 9 role for a club that just won promotion back to Serie A.
Standing at 1.90m with a strong and physical presence, he was never going to come cheap once Sevilla decided to cash in. It remains to be seen whether the forward can keep finding the net for the team from the popular tourist city of Venice.
‘It depends on who wanted him’ — Sam Sodje on Akor Adams’ surprise transfer
Zadok Yohanna – AIK Stockholm to Brighton & Hove Albion
Zadok Yohanna‘s rise from obscurity to the Premier League embodies hard work and dedication, with a lot happening for the 19-year-old in the space of about 18 months. Brighton’s scouting network struck again, this time in Sweden.
The winger, born in Bauchi State, signed a five-year deal until 2031 for a fee reported at around £21.5 million, beating out Chelsea, Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund for his signature. Yohanna only left Ikon Allah Academy in Kaduna for AIK Stockholm last year, and it took him one breakout Allsvenskan season to force his way to the Premier League.
If Brighton’s recent history with young talent is anything to go by, he’ll get his chance and hopefully take it.
Yohanna and four other African players to watch out for in 2026-27 EPL season
Taiwo Awoniyi – Nottingham Forest to Coventry City
After four years and 23 goals in a Forest shirt, Taiwo Awoniyi has moved on to Coventry City, where he hopes to get more playing time and show what he can do on the pitch.
He leaves the City Ground as a fan favourite, remembered for his home debut winner against West Ham and a late strike against Arsenal that helped keep Forest up in 2023.
He was named the PFA’s Community Champion for his work off the pitch last season too. Persistent injuries had cost him his starting spot at Forest, and at Coventry under Frank Lampard, he gets a fresh chance to lead the line – with the forward scoring and assisting already with the team.
Coventry City sign Taiwo Awoniyi: £9m fee + wages – Full transfer breakdown
Raphael Onyedika – Club Brugge to Eintracht Frankfurt
The Nigerian had been the subject of transfer talk for the past two windows, with AC Milan and Wolfsburg both linked at various points, but nothing ever materialised.
Eintracht Frankfurt finally got their man after chasing him for over a year. Raphael Onyedika signed until 2031 for a fee in the region of €10 million, with Brugge also keeping a sell-on percentage.
He leaves Belgium with two league titles and a Belgian Cup to his name, after 183 appearances across four seasons at the Belgian club. Frankfurt will hope Onyedika brings steel and composure to their midfield as they hope for a more productive Bundesliga campaign than last season.
Top five African footballers to watch out for in 2026-27 Bundesliga campaign
Terem Moffi – OG Nice to Hamburg
This one had been coming since November, with a string of off-field issues leaving the forward without a settled home and without regular football.
Terem Moffi and Jérémie Boga were attacked by Nice ultras outside the club’s training ground after a 3-1 defeat at Lorient, an incident French prosecutors have since pursued prison sentences over. Moffi never played for Nice again, went out on loan to Porto in January, and returned this summer only to be frozen out immediately by the club’s new sporting director.
Nice announced his exit to Hamburg with a single cold line and no fee attached, a fitting end to a relationship that broke down long before the paperwork did. He signs a three-year deal at Hamburg and gets to rebuild away from all that happened during his time in France with Nice.
Hamburg sign Terem Moffi: €2.5m fee + wages – Full transfer breakdown
Tolu Arokodare – Wolverhampton Wanderers to Ajax Amsterdam
Tolu Arokodare‘s spell in England ended the way it had been heading for a while, after a miserable first season with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League.
Six goals in 38 games was never going to be enough to justify the £24 million Wolves paid Genk for him last September, and a training-ground standoff with new manager Cesar Peixoto sealed his exit. He’s now at Ajax on a season-long loan, with the Eredivisie giants covering his wages and holding an option to make it permanent for around £17 million next summer.
The former Genk striker has already started repaying that faith with goals for the Dutch side. For a player who grew up idolising the club from afar, it’s a chance to reset in front of a crowd that actually watches Nigerian talent closely.
