{"id":868157,"date":"2025-08-26T23:12:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T04:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/26\/iwobi-aina-are-premier-leagues-best-in-key-metrics-nigerian-duo-outshines-chelsea-man-united-stars\/"},"modified":"2025-08-26T23:12:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T04:12:00","slug":"iwobi-aina-are-premier-leagues-best-in-key-metrics-nigerian-duo-outshines-chelsea-man-united-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/26\/iwobi-aina-are-premier-leagues-best-in-key-metrics-nigerian-duo-outshines-chelsea-man-united-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"Iwobi, Aina are Premier League\u2019s best in key metrics \u2013 Nigerian duo outshines Chelsea, Man United stars"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

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\"Soccer<\/p>\n

Alex Iwobi and Ola Aina. Photo Credit: IMAGO<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Nigerian players have made an early mark on the 2025\/26 Premier League season, with Ola Aina<\/a> and Alex Iwobi standing out in key statistical categories ahead of some of English football\u2019s biggest stars, Soccernet.ng reports<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Nottingham Forest<\/a> defender Aina has been central to his side\u2019s unbeaten start, playing every minute of their opening two fixtures.<\/p>\n

Aina was named in the WhoScored Team of the Week<\/a> after a commanding performance in Forest\u2019s 3-1 victory over Brentford, and followed it with another assured display during the 1-1 draw away at Crystal Palace.<\/p>\n

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Nigeria Super Eagles and Nottingham Forest Ola Aina. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Data from Squawka<\/a> highlights Aina\u2019s defensive influence. No player in the league has regained possession more times than the 27-year-old, who tops the chart with 18 recoveries. He is also one of only two players, alongside Bournemouth\u2019s Marcus Tavernier, to win the ball back at least 10 times in a single match this season. Aina achieved that figure against Palace.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Nigeria Super Eagles and Nottingham Forest star Ola Aina. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Get Our Sports News First \u2013 Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The former Chelsea<\/a> man’s defensive awareness extends to interceptions, where official Premier League data<\/a> ranks him just behind Manchester United\u2019s Leny Yoro, Aston Villa\u2019s Amadou Onana, and Bournemouth\u2019s Tyler Adams.<\/p>\n

Deployed at right-back, his versatility continues to give Forest tactical balance.<\/p>\n

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Nottingham Forest star Ola Aina challenges Fulham playmaker Alex Iwobi. Photo Credit: Aina X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Elsewhere, Fulham\u2019s Iwobi has been equally influential. The midfielder directed more passes into the penalty area than any other Premier League player in matchweek two, with four.<\/p>\n

One of those incisive deliveries directly led to Emile Smith Rowe\u2019s equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United<\/a>. He also completed 19 passes into the final third at Craven Cottage, the fifth-highest total across the weekend.<\/p>\n

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Nigeria Super Eagles and Fulham star Alex Iwobi. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Other Nigerians impressed too. Everton midfielder Tim Iroegbunam ranked second for interceptions with three against Aston Villa, while also drawing three fouls, the joint-fourth most across the league.<\/p>\n

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Everton star Tim Emeka Iroegbunam. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Elsewhere, Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo completed 90 passes in the 5-1 rout of West Ham, placing him sixth overall for passes completed on matchday two.<\/p>\n

Matchday three offers another chance for Nigeria\u2019s contingent to build momentum.<\/p>\n

Forest host West Ham, Chelsea face Fulham in a London derby, and Everton travel to Molineux to face Wolves.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Soccer\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n

\n\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele turns into a ball of passion when writing about Nigerian football and its talents, whether rising stars or established legends, locally and abroad.<\/p>\n

From the deepest corners of the Middle East, to the green fields of the Americas, to the celebrated grounds in Europe, and the rich soils of Africa, Imhons is more than glad, usually with a glass of a tasty drink nearby, to capture the essence of the game, by connecting the dots between culture, identity, and football.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soccer Alex Iwobi and Ola Aina. Photo Credit: IMAGO Nigerian players have made an early mark on the 2025\/26 Premier League season, with Ola Aina and Alex Iwobi standing out in key statistical categories ahead of some of English football\u2019s biggest stars, Soccernet.ng reports. Nottingham Forest defender Aina has been central to his side\u2019s unbeaten […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":868158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[96761,26186,2005],"tags":[96760,7230],"class_list":["post-868157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-iwobi","category-premier","category-soccer","tag-iwobi","tag-premier"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=868157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/868158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=868157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=868157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=868157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}