Sh*ck Twist As Barnsley Boss Confirms Nwakali Won’t Play Again This Season

According to Ireporter Online, Nigerian midfielder Kelechi Nwakali’s stint at Barnsley may have come to a premature end following confirmation from manager Conor Hourihane that the player has been excluded from the club’s first-team plans for the remainder of the season.

Hourihane disclosed that the 27-year-old was dropped from the senior squad over disciplinary issues and will continue training with the under-21 team indefinitely. Speaking candidly, the coach remarked, “Do I see him breaking back in? Probably not, if I’m being totally honest. It’s the same message from the summer — we’re looking for the best outcome for both the club and the player. I don’t see him fitting into our system, which demands high energy, aggression, and a fast tempo.”

Nwakali, who joined Barnsley two summers ago on a three-year contract, featured 26 times in his debut season but has yet to make an appearance in the ongoing campaign. Reports indicate that he has been training and playing exclusively with the youth side for several months.

Once regarded as one of Nigeria’s brightest football prospects, Nwakali’s career trajectory has been marked by inconsistency. After captaining Nigeria’s U-17 national team to World Cup glory in 2015 and clinching the tournament’s Golden Ball, he earned a move to Arsenal in 2016 — a deal facilitated by club legend Nwankwo Kanu. However, due to work permit complications, he never featured for Arsenal’s senior side and was sent on several loan spells before securing a permanent move to Spanish club SD Huesca.

His time at Barnsley initially held promise but soon followed a familiar pattern. Efforts to offload the midfielder last summer reportedly fell through due to failed transfer negotiations. With less than two years remaining on his contract, Nwakali is now expected to leave the League One side during the January transfer window if a suitable offer emerges.

For a player once touted as a future Super Eagles mainstay, his current situation marks another challenging chapter in a turbulent professional journey that has already seen him represent eight different clubs since leaving Arsenal — including five loan spells.