Former Nigeria youth international Sambo Choji in an exclusive interview with Footy-Africa has expressed his delight at the recent Super Eagles call-up for Philip Otele, describing the in-form forward as a player of immense quality.
Speaking exclusively to Footy-africa, Choji revealed that he has closely monitored Otele’s development and believes the call-up is well deserved.
“I was very happy when the list came out and I saw Otele’s name. My contacts in Germany have been keeping tabs on him,” Choji said. “We have similar styles and play in nearly the same position. When he made the move, my contacts in Germany informed me, and since then I have been following his progress closely.”
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“Otele is fast and has good technical ability. I am not surprised he has now earned a call-up to play for his country. He did not get the chance when he was in Switzerland, even though he did well there, but there is time for everything.”
“I am glad Eric Chelle has given him the opportunity with the friendlies against Iran and Jordan. Hopefully, we will get to see the best of him if he is given minutes,” Choji concluded.
Otele was recently named in Nigeria’s squad for the next international window, where the Super Eagles are scheduled to face Iran and Jordan in Antalya, Turkey. The mini-tournament was initially set to be held in Amman, Jordan, but the ongoing crisis in the Middle East forced a change of venue, with the fixtures now moved to Turkey.
The forward has been in impressive form this season, first with Swiss side FC Basel before securing a January move to Bundesliga outfit Hamburg. His transition to German football is already gathering pace, having opened his goal account for the club in last weekend’s 3-2 away defeat to Borussia Dortmund. The strike, which came in the 19th minute, was his first goal in seven appearances since his winter switch.
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Prior to that, Otele enjoyed a productive spell in Switzerland, scoring five goals and registering four assists for Basel this season, form that caught the attention of Hamburg, who moved swiftly to bring him in on loan.
Nigeria will face Iran on March 27 before taking on Jordan on March 31 in Antalya, as the Super Eagles squad wil open training camp on Tuesday in Turkey ahead of the friendlies.
