Kelechi leaves Barnsley for Cypriot side Pac Omonia where he will team up with Uzoho

FORMER Golden Eaglets captain Kelechi Nwakali has left English League One side Barnsley and joined Cypriot First Division club Omonia 29is Maiou popularly known as Pac Omonia where he will team up with compatriot Francis Uzoho.

Nwakali, 28, joined Barnsley in August 2024 on a four year deal after stints in Spain that saw him unable to fulfil the potential he initially showed when he burst on to the scene as a teenager. Back in 2015, Nwakali took the world by storm when he helped Nigeria win the U17 Fifa World Cup, picking up the golden ball award in the process.

He was immediately signed by English Premier League side Arsenal and sent out on loan to several European clubs including MVV Maastricht and VVV-Venlo in the Netherlands and a Porto B in Portugal. On 2 September 2019, Nwakali joined Spanish Segunda División side SD Huesca on a three-year deal there too he failed to make the expected breakthrough as was the case with  fellow Spanish second division side SD Ponferradina, who he joined on July 21 2022, and Primeira Liga side Chaves who he signed for on July 20 2023.

On  August 12 2024, Nwakali returned to England, joining Barnsley in the third tier of English football for an undisclosed fee on a three-year deal. This was seen as the big career revival move but things appear to have gone pear shaped again as he has agreed to terminate his contract with Barnsley with a year still left on his contract.

His transfer  is subject to a routine medical, which is expected to take place in the coming days and if it is successful, Nwakali will sign a one-year contract keeping him at the club until the end of the 2026/27 season. He will be joined by Nigerian goalkeeper Uzoho, who joins the club from across town rivals Omonia Nicosia.