Marseille secure Nigerian midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi signature on deadline day

by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath

image Marseille secure Nigerian midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi signature on deadline day
The January transfer window across the majority of Europe has now closed, and one of the late moves before the deadline saw Nigerian international Tochukwu Nnadi move to Ligue 1 outfit Olympique Marseille from Belgian Pro League side SV Zulte Waregem.

Nnadi completes move to Marseille on deadline day

Olympique Marseille have moved to bolster their ranks as they look to get back in the title race in Ligue 1 by bringing in highly rated midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi from Belgian Pro League side SV Zulte Waregem before the January transfer deadline slammed shut. 

Nnadi became Les Phoceens fourth signing in the transfer window after Ethan Nwaneri, Quinten Timber, and Himad Abdelli. The Nigerian midfielder was part of the Super Eagles squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and made one appearance for Eric Chelle’s side at the tournament. 

It is understood that Roberto De Zerbi’s side had to fend off interest from several other clubs to secure Nnadi’s signature, with certain Premier League teams also credited with an interest in signing the 22-year-old before the transfer deadline. 

Nnadi arrived at Zulte Waregem from Bulgarian club Botev Plovdiv during the January window in 2024 and made 18 appearances for the team. Marseille reportedly paid €6m to bring him to France, making him the fourth-most expensive sale for the Belgian club. 

Lookman and Onyeka set for new challenges

Aside from Nnadi, Ademola Lookman dominated transfer headlines on deadline day, as he completed a move to La Liga giants Atletico Madrid from Atalanta for a reported fee of €40m plus add-ons. 

While Lookman had not had a great season for La Dea leading up to the transfer window, his performances for the Super Eagles at the 2025 AFCON, where he scored four goals and provided four assists, saw him placed on the transfer wishlist of several clubs across Europe. 

In England, Frank Onyeka is now set to play the remainder of this season in the Championship for Frank Lampard’s Coventry City after being allowed to leave on loan by Brentford just hours before the transfer deadline. 

The loan agreement includes an obligation for the Sky Blues to make Onyeka’s transfer a permanent one at the end of the season if the club is promoted to the Premier League. The 27-year-old midfielder joined the Bees from Midtjylland in July 2021 for a fee in the region of €10m.