By
Arinze Izik
Super Eagles and Nigeria U23 head coach Eric Chelle has put Hull City’s Calvin Okike on his radar for the Olympic team.
http://hardtalkinternationalmagazine.com can exclusively report that Chelle has compiled a list of foreign-based prospects for the U23 squad, and the 18-year-old defender features prominently.
Born in England to Nigerian parents, Okike has not represented any other country at youth or senior level. That means he can play for Nigeria without needing to go through a nationality switch.
The left-footed centre back just signed his first pro deal with Hull City in the summer — a two-year contract with an option for a third. He’s highly rated within the club and was named Academy Player of the Year for the 2025-2026 season.
Okike spent most of last season with Hull’s U21s and was also an unused sub in a 2-0 Championship win over Norwich City. Earlier this year he went on loan to National League side Hartlepool United, where he marked his senior debut with a goal inside the first minute.
While he’s expected to continue mostly with the U21s in 2026-27, Okike has already featured in Hull’s pre-season wins against Turkish teams Konyaspor and Caykur Rizespor, 3-0 and 2-1 respectively.
Chelle, who oversees both the senior national team and the Olympic side, is keen to get a closer look at the teenager as Nigeria begins building for the next U23 cycle.
