Tunisia eye Eagles manager Eric Chelle as they look for new coach to take them to the World Cup

NIGERIAN head coach Eric Chelle could be on his way after the ongoing African Cup of Nations as the Tunisian football federation have initiated an interest in securing his services following the sacking of their own manager Sami Trabelsi.

Last week, Tunisian sacked Trabelsi after the Carthage Eagles crashed out of the African Cup of Nations, following their loss to Mali. World Cup-bound Tunisia were eliminated in the Round of 16 after a penalty shootout in a game in Casablanca that saw them unable to beat 10-man Mali who had Woyo Coulibaly sent off early on in the match.

Tunisia went ahead in the 88th minute, only to concede a penalty in the sixth minute of added time and spurn a lead in the shootout that followed. In need of someone to lead the Carthage eagles to the World cup this summer, the Tunisians have apparently offered to double Mr Chelle's salary to $100,000 a month to lure him away from Nigeria.

Chelle, who has coached Mali in the past, had come under pressure after failing to secure World Cup qualification in November but his Super Eagles side has been renewed at the ongoing tournament. Reaching the semi finals by winning all five games they have played so far, the Super Eagles produced their best performance in the quarter-finals, comfortably dispatching Algeria 2-0.

Tunisia can offer Mr Chelle the opportunity to coach at the 2026 World Cup, having already secured qualification and the federation is now planning to present him with a formal contract at the end of the tournament. Chelle is under contract with the Nigerian Football Federation until 2027, so it remains to be seen if he will be let go.

Apparently, Angola and Guinea are also interested in securing Mr Chelle's services as the recent performances of the Super Eagles have caught the eye. Mr Chelle, however, does not appear to be in a rush to leave the Nigerian job, saying after beating Algeria, that he was pleased with his side’s steady progress.

He added: "The Nigerian players are very happy and I am extremely proud of them. We really enjoyed the match. I have worked a lot since taking over my role with the Nigerian national team and we put in a lot of effort during preparations.

"My vision has been implemented in the Nigerian team and we must continue working in this manner. The victory we achieved against Algeria was deserved, the match was fantastic and I am very happy with the win."                                                   

Tomorrow, Nigeria will face hosts Morocco in the semi finals of the Nations Cup, with the winner set to face the victor in the other semi final between Egypt and Senegal on Sunday. Seen by many as the best team in the tournament, the Super Eagles have been a delight to watch with their free-flowing football that has resulted in them scoring 14 goals so far and conceding just four.