Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo has denied reports that he rejected multiple invitations to represent the Super Eagles of Nigeria, clarifying that he is yet to make a definitive decision on his international future.
Following Chelsea’s 4-1 win over Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final on Wednesday night in Wroclaw, Adarabioyo addressed the long-standing rumours during a post-match interview with Nigerian journalist Oma Akatugba.
“Yeah, so both of those pieces of news are pretty false,” the 27-year-old centre-back said.
“I’ve never turned down Nigeria, and I’ve never had any conversations with them to say that I will be going to Nigeria.
“At the point of last season, when there was a little bit of conversation, I told the club I just wanted to focus on club football in my last year at Fulham. I just wanted to have a solid season.
“Now I’m at Chelsea in my first year, which I wanted to concentrate on again — and I think now is going to be the time that I need to make a decision.”
Reports had previously claimed that Adarabioyo declined opportunities to join the Nigerian senior national team in 2020 and 2022. However, the Manchester City Academy graduate insists there was no official rejection.
Born in England to Nigerian parents, Adarabioyo remains eligible to play for either Nigeria or England at senior level. While he has featured for England at youth levels, he has yet to be capped by either country at the senior level.
The towering defender recently completed his first season with Chelsea after a summer move from Fulham. He featured in 37 matches, scoring four goals, registering one assist, and receiving seven yellow cards across all competitions.
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