By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Nigerian defender Emmanuel Chukwu has sealed a season-long loan move to Austrian Bundesliga side Wolfsberger AC from German club TSG Hoffenheim, as he continues his development in European football.
Chukwu, 18, only arrived in Germany in January 2025 from Nigerian outfit Grassrunners FC and quickly settled into Hoffenheim’s system, turning out for their U19 side while also training with the first team.
The centre-back gained further exposure earlier this year at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, where he helped Nigeria’s Flying Eagles secure a third-place finish, underlining his potential on the continental stage.
In recent months, Chukwu featured in Hoffenheim’s preseason friendlies, but with competition for places fierce in the Bundesliga squad, the Kraichgau club opted to secure him a loan spell to aid his progression.
Wolfsberger AC, who are looking to strengthen their defensive options for the 2025/26 campaign, will now provide the right-footed central defender with regular first-team opportunities in Austria’s top flight.
The deal runs until the end of the season, with both clubs confident that Chukwu’s stint in Lavanttal will accelerate his readiness for senior football at the highest level.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
