Nwabali too good to be clubless – Ekong

June 25, 2026 1:52 am

Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has backed Stanley Nwabali to secure a new club soon, insisting the Nigeria international is “too good” to remain without a team despite being unattached since terminating his contract with South African side Chippa United in February, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Nwabali ended his Chippa contract in February, four months before it was due to expire, hoping to secure a move to a bigger club on the back of two outstanding Africa Cup of Nations campaigns with Nigeria, including a bronze medal finish at the 2025 edition in Morocco.

However, the timing of his departure — outside the transfer window — severely limited his options, and he has since struggled to find a new team, a situation that has cost him his place in the Super Eagles setup.

Troost-Ekong, speaking during a virtual SuperSport discussion, was careful not to be too critical but acknowledged that hindsight had not been kind to the decision.

“Obviously, I can’t speak for Stanley, but based on how things have unfolded now, maybe it would’ve been a better decision to remain with Chippa. That’s me speaking from the outside because, of course, we don’t know what occurred between him and the club,” he said.

The former Nigeria skipper, who announced his retirement from international football in December, was fulsome in his praise of Nwabali’s quality while expressing hope that the situation would be resolved before the new season begins.

“I think seeing Stanley’s rise over the last (few) years has been amazing. I think he’s been the soldier we need for the national team. He had a fantastic Afcon twice in a row, which is very difficult to do,” Troost-Ekong said.

“I think probably the situation hasn’t been favourable for him because I think the time he terminated his contract with the club was outside the transfer window, which made it very difficult for him to find a new club. It’s been tough. I’ve spoken to Stanley a lot as well. I know he’s been training, keeping fit. Hopefully, there’s going to be a good opportunity that comes his way now in the summer.”

Troost-Ekong left no doubt about his view of Nwabali’s importance to Nigeria’s football future. saying, “I am sure he’s going to find a club and return back to playing his club football because we need him for the national team.

“For me, he’s too much of a good goalkeeper to be without a club.”

Peter Akinbo

Peter, who has been covering sports for PUNCH for close to two years, focuses on combat sports reporting, special features and human angle stories

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