Chelsea defender, Tosin Adarabioyo has firmly denied recent reports suggesting he turned down a call up to represent Nigeria’s Super Eagles, stating categorically that he has “never turned down Nigeria.”
The 27 year old centre back addressed the speculation in a post match press conference following Chelsea’s dominant 4 1 victory over Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final, a historic night that capped off a successful season for the West London club.
Adarabioyo, who joined Chelsea on a free transfer from Fulham last summer, clarified the circumstances around his international status, describing the media narratives as “pretty false.”
“I’ve never turned down Nigeria,” he said. “And I’ve never had any conversations with them to say that I’ll be going to Nigeria.
“At the point of last season where there was a little bit of conversation, I told them I just want to focus on club football.
“I was in my last year at Fulham and I just wanted to have a solid run there. Now I’m at Chelsea, my first year, which I wanted to concentrate on again.”
Born in London to Nigerian parents, Adarabioyo is eligible to play for both England and Nigeria. He has represented England at U16 through U19 levels but has yet to make a senior appearance for either nation.
With his first season at Stamford Bridge now behind him, the defender acknowledged that the time has come to make a definitive choice regarding his international future.
