Habib Beye has praised Tochukwu Nnadi while challenging the midfielder to further develop his all-round game at Olympique Marseille.
The 22-year-old joined the Ligue 1 side from Zulte Waregem in January but has found game time limited, making just three league appearances so far.
Despite this, Beye expressed satisfaction with Nnadi’s defensive contributions and attitude, highlighting his strength in pressing and ball recovery.
“No, Nnadi makes a very good impression on me, but it’s in this area where we have the most players. We have seven or eight midfielders, so rotation isn’t necessarily frequent,” Beye said.
The Marseille boss, however, urged the Nigerian to improve his offensive output to become a more complete midfielder.
“I’m very satisfied with his contribution, especially defensively and his ability to press. Having spoken with him, I’d also like to see him work on that offensively.
“He needs to inject more dynamism. In a two-man midfield, you need players who can contribute in the second line.”
Beye also emphasized that Nnadi remains one of the strongest defensive options in the squad, but stressed the importance of continued development and adaptation.
“He’s one of the players with the strongest defensive capacity, which is very positive. We need to keep working with him as he adapts and gradually integrates into the team.”
While competition for places remains intense, Beye assured that Nnadi will get his opportunities as he continues to settle into life in France.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey 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.
