Alverca left-back Isaac James has been handed his maiden Super Eagles invitation after Zaidu Sanusi’s injury opened up the left-back slot for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers.
Eric Chelle has handed Isaac James his first Super Eagles call-up, and the timing tells its own story. The 22-year-old Alverca left-back steps in after Zaidu Sanusi picked up an adductor injury that looks set to keep him out for around two months.
For a squad already stretched at full-back, it’s a call the coaching staff had been building toward for a while. As a result, James arrives with less pressure than a typical uncapped debutant — Chelle’s scouts have reportedly watched him three times since last season.
Zaidu Sanusi suffered the injury during Porto’s 3-0 win over Académico de Viseu, and medical tests confirmed the layoff would stretch close to two months. That ruled him out of Nigeria’s opening 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau this September.
Losing an established left-back mid-cycle is never ideal. However, it also opened a door that had been narrowing for young Nigeria-eligible players in Chelle’s squad, and James was the name most consistently linked with the vacancy in Nigerian football media.
James joined Alverca on a free transfer from French side Lorient and has since become one of the more talked-about names in the Portuguese Primeira Liga’s lower reaches. Meanwhile, his versatility — comfortable as a traditional left-back or pushed higher as a wing-back — is exactly what a qualifying campaign with a thin squad needs.
He isn’t short of competition, though. Ola Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel have both filled in at left-back for the Super Eagles despite being natural right-backs, so James will have to prove his case in training before a start is guaranteed.
Nigeria host Madagascar in Uyo before travelling to face Guinea-Bissau, in a group that also includes co-hosts Tanzania. Every point matters this early, so a settled left-back — even a new one — is worth more to Chelle than another makeshift option out of position.
For a fanbase still processing Nigeria’s rebuild after missing out on the World Cup, a fresh, in-form face at the back is a welcome subplot heading into the qualifiers. It also fits a pattern: Chelle has leaned on Nigeria-eligible players from clubs abroad rather than sticking rigidly to established names.
Full-back has quietly been one of Nigeria’s least settled positions over the past year, with injuries and squad rotation making it hard for any one player to nail down the left-back slot. James’s call-up doesn’t solve that on its own, but it does give Chelle a genuine alternative rather than another patched-together solution.
If he impresses in camp, don’t be surprised if this becomes more than emergency cover. Squads that qualify for AFCON tournaments are usually built on exactly this kind of opportunity — a first call-up that turns into a long-term fixture.
Why was Isaac James called up to the Super Eagles?
He was called up as cover after Zaidu Sanusi suffered an adductor injury expected to keep him out for around two months, ruling him out of the September AFCON 2027 qualifiers.
Which club does Isaac James play for?
James plays for Alverca in Portugal’s Primeira Liga, having joined on a free transfer from French club Lorient.
Who else is competing for the Super Eagles left-back spot?
Ola Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel have both covered at left-back despite being natural right-backs, so James faces genuine competition even in Sanusi’s absence.
When do the Super Eagles play their next AFCON qualifiers?
Nigeria host Madagascar in Uyo before travelling to face Guinea-Bissau in Group L of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
For more on Nigeria’s evolving squad heading into the qualifiers, see our Super Eagles Squad Watch and the latest on Nigeria’s goalkeeping battle for the same qualifiers. According to Afrik-Foot’s reporting on James’s rise at Alverca, Chelle’s scouting staff have tracked him closely since last season.
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