Kenneth Omeruo
From TheChels.info - The Chelsea Football Club Wiki
| Kenneth Omeruo | |
| |
| Full Name | Kenneth Josiah Omeruo |
| Date of Birth | 17 October 1993 |
| Place of Birth | Nigeria |
| Position | Defender |
| Chelsea career | 2012 - 2019 |
| Debut | n/a |
| Games (goals) | n/a |
| Other clubs | Standard Liege ADO Den Haag (loan) Middlesbrough (loan) Kasimpasa (loan) Alanyaspor (loan) Leganés (loan) |
Kenneth Omeruo (born 17 October 1993) is a Nigerian international defender who formerly played for Chelsea.
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Pre-Chelsea career
Nigerian-born Kenneth moved to Belgium as a youngster and spent six years at Standard Liege, coming through their youth ranks into first team contention, but never made an appearance for the club.
Chelsea career
In January 2012, Kenneth joined Chelsea and was immediately loaned to ADO Den Haag in the Dutch Eredivisie until the end of the 2012-13 season. A centre-back by trade, he was immediately used at right-back and with great effect, as he make a regular impact with his athleticism and work rate coming to the fore. He scored his first goal in April 2012 against Groningen.
The 2012-13 season was again spent in Den Haag, where he picked up more valuable experience in Europe's premier development league. After impressing at the African Nations Cup for Nigeria, he was moved from his regular spot at right-back to earn more consideration as a central defender.
Nigeria's success at the African Nations meant they qualified for the Confederations Cup in Brazil in the summer of 2013, and once again Kenneth was a regular at the heart of the defence. He returned to Chelsea for pre-season but underwent shoulder surgery which kept him out until mid-October. Upon his return, he trained and played with the Under-21 squad until Christmas.
In need of regular football, he joined Middlesbrough on loan for the second half of the season and became amongst the best players at the Riverside Stadium during his stay at the club. After featuring in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and signing a new long-term deal at Stamford Bridge, he rejoined 'Boro for the 2014-15 season. Things started well enough but injuries and problematic international duty issues contributed to a lack of form in the middle of the season. He lost his place in the centre of defence and, after an argument with manager Aitor Karanka in March, did not feature again for the club.
He headed back overseas in 2015-16, joining Turkish top flight side Kasimpasa on loan with an option for a permanent deal involved in the contract. In a defensively-sound team he once again found good form, featuring regularly at centre-half and working his way back into the Nigerian international set-up. Finding an afinity with the Turkish league, he joined Alanyaspor the following season, improving again, before returning to Kasimpasa in 2017-18 and securing a place in Nigeria's provisional World Cup squad.
A switch to Spain and to Leganés increased his profile in 2018-19, eventually yielding a permanent departure at the end of the season, ending a seven-year stay with the Blues.
International
Kenneth is a Nigerian international who came to Chelsea's attention at the 2011 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Colombia. He was called up to Nigeria's 23-man squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and played in every match as the Super Eagles won the tournament for the first time since 1994. [1] He was also a regular for his country at the FIFA 2014 World Cup.
Career statistics
Youth, Reserve and Under-21 Football
| Season | Under-18 | European | Under-21 | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 2013-14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Senior Club Football
| Season | Club | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| 2011-12 | ADO Den Haag (loan) | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| 2012-13 | ADO Den Haag (loan) | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| 2013-14 | Middlesbrough (loan) | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| 2014-15 | Middlesbrough (loan) | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 2015-16 | Kasimpasa (loan) | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | Alanyaspor (loan) | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| 2017-18 | Kasimpasa (loan) | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 1 |
| 2018-19 | Leganés (loan) | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Total | 173 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 179 | 4 | |
Career honours
International
Nigeria
- Africa Cup of Nations: 2013
