Iwobi joins Kanu, Yakubu in African EPL elite club

Alex Iwobi’s profile in the English Premier League keeps rising, with the Nigerian midfielder joining an elite list of African players who have made 50 appearances or more for three clubs in the English topflight, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

On Sunday, Iwobi featured for 63 minutes in Fulham’s 2-2 draw against Ipswich to earn his 50th EPL cap for the Cottagers, making him the fifth African after Nwankwo Kanu (Arsenal, Portsmouth, West Brom), Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Everton, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth), Senegal’s El Hadji Diouf (Bolton, Blackburn, Liverpool) and Diamé (Wigan, West Ham, Newcastle) to reach the 50+ appearance mark for three teams in the league.

British sports analytics company Opta recorded Iwobi’s feat before the game against Ipswich.

“50 – Alex Iwobi is set to become the fifth African player to make 50+ Premier League appearances for three different teams after Kanu (Arsenal, Portsmouth, West Brom), El Hadji Diouf (Bolton, Blackburn, Liverpool), Yakubu (Everton, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth) and Mohamed Diamé (Wigan, West Ham, Newcastle). Celebrate.”

The 28-year-old has now played 10 seasons in the EPL, making 273 appearances, scoring 27 goals plus 32 assists.

Compared to the other four players before him in this feat, Iwobi’s goal contribution is only bettered by Aiyegbeni (95 goals and 26 assists in 252 games) – who is the highest scorer among Nigerians to have featured in the EPL – and Kanu (54 goals and 29 assists in 273 games).

His 27 goals and 32 assists is better than Diouf’s return of 28 goals and 25 assists in 242 games, while Diamé also had 18 goals and five assists in 239 games.

Among Nigerians that have graced the EPL, the Arsenal Academy product is also working his way up having equalled Victor Anichebe’s 27-goal haul to become eighth in the top 10 and one goal behind Obafemi Martins’ 28.

After being promoted to the first team in the 2015/2016 season, he made 100 EPL appearances for Arsenal in four active seasons, scoring 11 goals. He joined Everton in the 2019/2020 season and made 123 appearances across five seasons for the Toffees, scoring just six goals.

Iwobi is in his second season at Fulham and has 10 goals in 50 appearances.

This season, he is the club’s second-highest goal scorer in the EPL behind Raul Jimine,z who has eight goals in 20 games. Only two players, Antonee Robinson (seven) and Adama Traore (four) have made more assists than Iwobi (three).

The midfielder recently admitted he was in his best season and credited his form to the freedom of expression granted by manager Marco Silva.

“You could say it is my best start to the season—I just have to keep it going and make sure it’s my best season. That’s the aim,” Iwobi said via Premier League TV.

“If I do make a mistake, I can go again.

“It’s nice to have a manager who gives you the confidence to do that. Players normally do well when they are confident and with me, feeling confident to express myself on and off the pitch, I almost feel unstoppable.”

He made his Premier League debut on October 31, 2015, in a 3-0 win against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium, as a stoppage-time substitute for Mesut Özil.

After getting a first Champions League start in a 3-1 away defeat to Barcelona, Iwobi went on to score two goals in his first two Premier League starts in wins against Everton and Watford.

So far, in terms of silverware, he has won the FA Cup in 2016/17, FA Community Shield in 2015 and 2017 with Arsenal.

The Arsenal Academy product is, however, enjoying his best run of form in the EPL this term with five goals and three assists in 20 games. He has been ever-present for Fulham this season and has equalled his goal haul for last season.

Iwobi represented England up to U-18 level, but he switched his allegiance to Nigeria and made his senior international debut for Nigeria in October 2015. He has since played at the 2018 World Cup and was featured thrice at the AFCON, with a bronze medal in 2019 and silver in 2023 to show for it.