The 19 year old defensive midfielder has played in all seven of Reims’ Ligue 2 games since his €1.6m summer move from Hapoel Jerusalem.
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Reims midfielder John Otomewo has been called up to the Super Eagles squad as a late replacement for Wilfred Ndidi, ahead of Nigeria’s friendly against Russia on Tuesday, October 6. Head coach Eric Chelle made the change on Friday, October 2.
Ndidi, 29, played in both of Nigeria’s recent AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau and has reportedly been rested for the game. Defender Vince Osuji of Tromsø was also called up, replacing Basel’s Victory Akpe.
Who Is Otomewo?
The 19 year old defensive midfielder was born in Sapele and began his career at Abia Comets before joining Gombe United in 2025. He then moved to Israel, joining Hapoel Jerusalem’s Under 19 side and breaking into the first team in December 2025.
Reims signed him in July 2026 for a reported €1.6 million, the biggest sale in Hapoel Jerusalem’s history. He signed a contract that runs until 2031. Fans following Nigerian talents abroad can check the YOHAIG Bet9ja launch offer.
Impact in France
Otomewo has played in all seven of Reims’ Ligue 2 games this season. Reims are aiming to return to Ligue 1 after going down.
He stands 1.86m tall and plays as a right footed holding midfielder. Fellow Nigerian Hafiz Ibrahim is also at Reims.
What Chelle Gets
Chelle’s Russia squad is a reshaped group, with Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Alex Iwobi all absent and several first time invitees among the 24 players. Otomewo’s call up fits that pattern of testing newer names.
The friendly is played in Nizhny Novgorod and follows the 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau. Fans who want to test their forecasts can pick scores for the Russia game on Super9ja.
Nigeria’s next competitive games are a double header against Tanzania in November. A strong showing in Russia could put Otomewo in Chelle’s thinking for those qualifiers.
Otomewo started more than 90 percent of Hapoel Jerusalem’s league matches after joining the senior squad.
Will the youngster earn his first minutes in Nizhny Novgorod? New bettors following the squad can read Bet9ja’s promo code walkthrough for beginners.
📌 Did You Know?
- Otomewo was born on April 25, 2007.
- He was discovered at a talent tournament in Nigeria before signing for Hapoel Jerusalem’s youth team.
- He scored once in the Israeli State Cup last season.
- His market value rose to about €2 million before the Reims move.
- Osuji, called up alongside him, is a former Nigeria U-17 international who joined Tromsø from Club Brugge.
