Former African Footballer of the Year Victor Ikpeba is not celebrating Frank Onyeka’s transfer from Brentford to Coventry City.
Coventry City are currently leading the Championship as they are tied on point with Middlesbrough.
Ikpeba said this move is a step back for a player of Onyeka’s calibre.
The Brentford midfielder finished his transfer to Coventry City on deadline day, signing a loan agreement that lasts until the end of the season.
The deal includes an option for Coventry City to buy him if they get promoted to the Premier League.
Onyeka did not get much playing time in the first half of the season, starting only three games in the Carabao Cup.
In the Premier League, he played six times as a substitute. The former FC Ebedei player was a key but unnoticed star as the Super Eagles won the bronze medal at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Ikpeba said that moving down to the Championship does not make sense, especially since a transfer to the Premier League or a top team in France, Italy, or Spain would better show his skills and the good work he did in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Ikpeba said during SuperSport’s Monday Night Football, “These things happen in football when you don’t get enough playing time. He’s a top player who puts in everything he has, even during the few times we’ve seen him play for Brentford.
“It’s not nice for him to drop down to the Championship. If he joined a top English club like a Premier League team, that would be amazing, or maybe he went to a good team in France, Italy, Spain, or a top league in another country. It’s really sad.”
The ex-Borussia Dortmund and Monaco striker added, “I never played in the lower leagues during my 15 or 16-year career.
I never thought I would get a chance to play in the second division. I had the chance to play in the second division towards the end of my career.”
Ikpeba insisted that Onyeka has already shown he belongs at a higher level.
“For a top player, we saw what he can do with the ball during the Nations Cup. He needs to join a stronger team, keep playing in the Premier League, or find a new opportunity somewhere else. Going to Coventry just because they are leading the league doesn’t make sense.”
Besides his time at Brentford, Onyeka has also played for top-tier clubs FC Midtjylland and FC Augsburg.