Turkish Super League new entrants, Yeni Malatyaspor’s coach, Ertugrul Saglam, has revealed the reasons for the club’s decision to end their contract with former Super Eagles attacking midfielder Sunday Mba and three other players, and expressly asked them to seek new career opportunities elsewhere, Completesportsnigeria.com reports.
Barely four days before the commencement of the new Turkish league season, Malatyaspor Saglam, told Fanatik that the former Warri Wolves midfielder and three other players have been informed to seek offers elsewhere.
Mba, Dialiba, Ayite and Ahmet Aras are now surplus to requirement and would no longer be part of the club’s projects.
The no nonsense manager said the club has bounced back from rock-bottom and is now faced with a daunting task of remaining afloat in the Turkish Super Lig.
He told Fanatik that Malatyaspor are bent on signing on top quality players capable of helping the club rub shoulders with Turkish league heavyweights.
“I want to explain to you that when we first came to Malatya, after the signing, we saw that the players we were working with last year, and during the pre-season were far away from modernity and far from Super League standards. We have to let them leave,” Saglam told Fanatik on Tuesday.
“With the permission of Allah, Malatyaspor will continue to work in the Super League, where he will achieve great, modern and great achievements for many years.”
Mba played a total number of 26 games last seaso, scoring just 2 goals raising questions about his readiness to fight for place in the team as the club joined Turkish football elites in the Super Lig.
He made his senior international debut in the Nigeria’s 0–0 draw with Angola in January 2012 and scored a brace against Liberia in his second game.
The former Bastia FC midfielder came into limelight at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations after scoring the winning goal in Nigeria’s 2–1 quarter-final win over Côte d’Ivoire.
He went on to write his name in gold after scoring another winning goal in the final match against Burkina Faso to help the Super Eagles win their third Africa Cup of Nations title.
Mba was part of Nigeria’s squad at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. He last featured for Super Eagles in a FIFA 2010 World Cup qualifying match against Harambee Stars of Kenya in Nairobi
