Samuel Chukwueze looked like a footballer who was running out of time in recent years. His loan move to Fulham in the Premier League didn’t amount to much and his country missed out on a second consecutive World Cup appearance.
He also wasn’t making much traction at AC Milan, who he moved to Milan from Villarreal for about €21 million. It was looking like Samuel Chukwueze would be on the transfer list sooner than later.
However, things have turned around dramatically in the first few weeks of the new season. He’s now part of the first team and one of the side’s most talked about players. It looks like the Nigerian international has really upped his defensive skills during the offseason.
A Failed Loan Move
Samuel Chukwueze is a name that gets plenty of attention from people wherever he goes, which brings with it interest on the betting sites in Nigeria. He went on loan to Fulham in London in, which looked like a good move on paper.
He had a solid showing, scoring three goals and contributing four assists, but it wasn’t enough to secure a permanent move to England, with Fulham getting a new manager in. Fulham were looking for a €24 million price, which wasn’t on the cards for Fulham.
Chukwueze returned to Milan and his club rejected a transfer bid reported to be worth €15 million from Turkish side Trabzonspor.
The 27-year-old has strong pedigree, having won the Europa League at Villarreal and mesmerized fans with commanding performances against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in Champions League football.
A vote of confidence
Milan’s new head coach Ruben Amorim has transformed Chukwueze’s fortunes since taking over during the summer. The new manager said Chukwueze was part of his plans and wanted wingers who could beat opponents in one-on-one situations.
Amorim asked him to change from his typical right wing position, pushing him further into the defense with a right wing-back position. This was a big change for a player who based most of his career on his prowess getting forward.
His new role meant that Chukwueze had to start tracking runners closely, cover a lot of ground and defend, at the same time as contributing to the attack. He wasn’t an obvious fit to manage this transition, but he’s proving the critics wrong so far.
Strong Start to the Serie A Season
The first big test came on the opening weekend of the Serie A season on August 23. Milan went to Torino and won 2-1, with Chukwueze named man of the match. He showed huge energy getting up and down the flank, being a constant thorn in the side of the opponents. He also showed enough defensive discipline to justify Amorim’s experiment.
Then it was Juventus two weeks later which reinforced this idea. While Chukwueze started on the bench, he was sent on just after the hour mark with the game tied at 0-0. It took just 7 minutes for him to whip a cross into the box and for young forward Alphajo Cisse finishing to put Milan ahead.
The night ended in frustrating manner, with Federico Gatti grabbing an equalizer at the very end of stoppage time. However, Chukwueze’s contribution was noted and earned him even more praise from the manager.
A Tough Year Away From the Pitch
What makes the revival in Chukwueze’s fortunes even more pronounced is the backdrop to what’s happening in his personal life. The 27-year-old’s mother passed away earlier in 2026. Then there was heartbreak on the pitch when Nigeria failed to reach the 2026 World Cup after losing a penalty shootout to DR Congo.
Chukwueze started that playoff final game and was substituted after an hour. He was visibly emotional after, but it wasn’t much comfort for the proud nation that missed a second successive World Cup.
There was partial remedy at the Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria won a bronze medal, showing that the Super Eagles are full of quality when they can mesh together. Chukwueze is now getting close to 60 caps and is still a key player alongside the likes of Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen.
His transformation at Milan is now being closely watched, with managers of other teams likely getting ideas about making similar positional changes with their wingers. The next few months will be pivotal in showing whether Chukwueze can nail down a permanent starting place for the biggest games.
