Former Arsenal midfielder Kelechi Nwakali has signed for Grupo Desportivo de Chaves after a season with SD Ponferradina.
GD Chaves have announced the signing of Kelechi Nwakali from SD Ponferradina, with AllNigeriaSoccer.com reporting that the midfielder has agreed to a three-year deal with the Portuguese club.
The signing represents a return to Portuguese football for Nwakali, following his previous spell with FC Porto. It’s also a step back up to top-tier football, with Ponferradina having played in the Spanish second division in 2022/23.
Nwakali had joined Ponferradina as a free agent, following an acrimonious departure from SD Huesca.
Huesca announced that they were terminating Nwakali’s contract in April of 2022. At the time, they claimed they’d communicated this decision to the player and wished him the best for the future.
In response to that statement, Nwakali posted one of his own on Twitter.
Nwakali alleged that Huesca Sporting Director Ruben Garcia pressured him not to go to AFCON with Nigeria due to it ‘not being an important tournament’, and warned the player that attending the event would mean he wouldn’t play for Huesca again.
Nwakali further claimed that when he asked for his unpaid wages to be paid to help fund his mother’s hospital bill, Garcia responded that they would pay him if he signed a new contract (with his deal expiring that summer).
Garcia also allegedly threatened not to pay Nwakali on another occasion, if the player didn’t accept a January 31st transfer to another La Liga 2 club.
Nwakali added that Huesca still hadn’t paid his wages, and claimed he’d initially refused to sign mutual termination papers.
The whole situation could have been very damaging to Nwakali’s career, but he made a free transfer and went on to make 37 appearances for Ponferradina last season, catching the eye over in Portugal and getting his move to Chaves.
The 25-year-old spent three years with Arsenal earlier in his career, eventually leaving in 2019. During that time he went on loan to MVV Maastricht, VVV-Venlo, and FC Porto.