League One club Barnsley have confirmed that Nigeria international Kelechi Nwakali will remain at the club following the conclusion of the 2025/26 season, as part of their retained and released list released on Sunday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The club announced a series of decisions on player futures, including the activation of contract options for several players.
Barnsley confirmed that Nwakali is among a group of players retained under contract, alongside Luca Connell, Josh Earl, Kacper Lopata, Corey O’Keeffe and Jackson Smith.
Nwakali’s future has been the subject of uncertainty over the past year after a turbulent spell at the club, where he initially made 26 appearances in his debut campaign before falling out of favour under former manager Conor Hourihane.
The midfielder, who won the Golden Ball at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup ahead of players such as Victor Osimhen, had been expected to leave Barnsley during previous transfer windows after reportedly being deemed surplus to requirements, but a move away did not materialise.
He was subsequently restricted to development squad football to maintain match fitness, before briefly returning to first-team involvement towards the end of the campaign, making four substitute appearances and recording 52 minutes of action.
His time at Oakwell has also been marked by disciplinary concerns, with reports of internal issues earlier in the season and a further setback during a development squad match against Birmingham City’s academy side, where he was shown a straight red card following an altercation.
Despite the off-field and selection challenges, Barnsley have now opted to retain the Nigerian midfielder as part of their squad planning for the new season.
The club also confirmed that several other Nigerian players are set to depart or return to their parent clubs, including Owen Goodman, who returns to Crystal Palace, and Nathanael Ogbeta, who goes back to Plymouth Argyle, while Feyi Afuape will leave when his contract expires next month.
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