The winter transfer window closed officially on Monday February 2, with several Nigerian Players making headlines with transfers to new clubs.
During the one-month transfer window, many Nigerian players dominated the headlines with links to new clubs, as the influence and demand for Nigerian footballers continue to grow across Europe.
While some successfully secured moves and earned the opportunity to make fresh starts elsewhere, others were forced to wait until the summer to push for transfers again,.
In this article, SportPremi takes a look at some of the Nigerian players that changed clubs during the recently-closed transfer window;
Ademola Lookman (Atalanta to Atletico Madrid)
Lookman’s transfer to Atletico Madrid was one of the biggest transfer stories in the world over the course of the past month.
The 28-year-old who shone for Nigeria at the 2025 African Cup of Nations tournament, finally gets his exit from Atalanta months after he was involved in a transfer saga with the club. La Dea were unwilling to sanction a sale to a rival team last summer and rejected multiple bids from Inter Milan for his services.
There was a further twist this time around as he had already agreed personal terms with Turkish side Fenerbahce, but the club could not agree on a payment structure with Atalanta, which gave Atletico Madrid the chance to make a late hijack.
The Spanish club will pay a fixed €35 million fee plus an additional €5 million in add-ons, while Lookman will earn about €6 million per season over the course of his four-and-a-half year deal.
The Super Eagles forward enjoyed an impressive spell at Atalanta and went on to score 55 goals and provide 27 assists since joining the club in 2022 from RB Leipzig. His most memorable performance was during the 2024 Europa League final when he bagged a remarkable hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen, guiding Atalanta to their first-ever European trophy.
Terem Moffi (OGC Nice to Porto)
Nigerian striker Terem Moffi ended months of speculation over his future with a move to Portuguese giants Porto on loan until the end of the season. The former Champions League winners also have the option for a permanent signature for about €8 million in the summer.
Moffi initially joined Nice on loan in 2023 and impressed in his first few months at the club. However, he suffered an unfortunate ACL injury in 2024, which ruled him out of action for almost a year.
The 26-year-old also fell out of favour at the club after he was assaulted by fans last November and refused to play for the club since then, before eventually getting his move.
He has scored three times so far this season, but will be hoping to rediscover his scoring touch under former manager Francesco Farioli, under whom he enjoyed his most prolific campaign in France.
Tochukwu Nnadi (Zulte Waregem to Marseille)
Nigerian youngster Tochukwu Nnadi, who was among the squad that won bronze at the 2025 AFCON tournament sealed a high-profile switch from Belgian side Zulte Waregem to French giants Olympique Marseille.
The French club will pay a fee in the region of €6 million for the deal for the Super Eagles midfielder, who has enjoyed a remarkable rise in his career.
The 22-year-old was very influential in Zulte’s promotion bid to the Belgian top-flight and will now be hopeful of helping the French club in their quest to end their trophy-drought this season
Frank Onyeka (Brentford to Coventry City)
Another high-profile Nigerian player to make a switch during the winter transfer window, Onyeka joined Frank Lampard’s Coventry City on loan until the end of the season from Premier League side Brentford.
The 28-year-old whose influence at the Nigerian national team continues to grow has struggled to nail down a spot in the Bees’ starting lineup and has been limited to just seven league appearances this season.
He even spent last season away on loan at German side Augsburg, but has struggled for playing time since returning to England last summer.
Now set for a fresh start with Coventry, he will be hopeful of helping the club in their bid to secure promotion to the Premier League, which could set him up for a permanent move at the end of the season.
Joe Aribo (Southampton to Leicester City)
Aribo secured a loan move to Leicester City until the end of the season, ending his stay at Southampton with his contract set to expire in the summer.
The Nigerian midfielder joined the Saints in 2022 and went on to make 111 appearances for them across all competitions, scoring seven goals.
However, he had fallen out-of-favour this season and has only played in seven of their 30 matches so far in the Championship.
Philip Otele (Basel to Hamburg)
German Bundesliga side Hamburg secured the services of Nigerian-born winger Philip Otele on loan until the end of the season from Swiss side Basel.
The 26-year-old has scored nine times and provided four assists across all competitions already this season, but now completes a high-profile move to Germany, where an impressive performance could set him up for another move in the summer.
The move is also expected to put him in the spotlight to earn a call-up from the Super Eagles, which could put him in contention to play during the qualifying rounds for the 2027 AFCON tournament.
