BY JOE APU
ARSENAL of England and Super Eagles striking sensation, Alex Iwobi is not one to be deterred by the ouster of Nigeria from the AFCON 2017 as he has turned his attention to the football event of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The 19-year old lad who just signed a new 30,000 pounds a week contract with Arsenal that would run till 2021 yesterday revealed his intention to be part of Coach Samson Siasia’s team.
Coach Samson Siasia was the first person to invite Iwobi to the U23 ahead of the Rio 2016 qualifiers, but he could not take part due to his past with the English youth teams.
Having committed his future to Nigeria when he made his competitive international debut in the disappointing defeat to Egypt in last week’s Afcon qualifiers, Iwobi formally declared his desire to be part of the squad.
“It was a massive disappointment for the team that we did not qualify for the forthcoming Africa Cup Nations,” Iwobi told Goal.com after scoring in Saturday’s 4-0 win for Arsenal against Watford.
“The coaches and players worked so hard to gain the ticket but it’s a shame we didn’t get through. We conceded a late goal in Kaduna and unfortunately we were unable to convert our chances in the second leg in Egypt.
“I am looking forward to the forthcoming Olympics and if I am invited, I will do my best to make a meaningful contribution,” he said.
“I believe that Nigeria has a crop of excellent players who are capable of doing great things at the Olympics. Coach Samson Siasia deserves a lot of praise for securing a place for the nation at the Olympics.
“I do not have any regrets whatsoever in opting to play for Nigeria and will always do my best whenever I put on the green white green colours of Nigeria. I hope to be involved in the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers too.
“I am very grateful to my team mates, the Nigeria Football Federation, coaches, the press and fans for the warm welcome I received following my decision to come home.
“Nigeria is a great footballing nation and deserves to assume her rightful place in Africa and world football and I am keen to be part of a team that achieves this goal,” Iwobi concluded