Exclusive - ISL side SC Delhi sign Nigerian international Nduka Junior
The Phoenix beat competition from multiple foreign clubs to land the centre-back, who captained Nigeria’s home-based side at CHAN 2025
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Sporting Club Delhi have completed the signing of Nigerian defender Nduka Junior on a one-year deal with an option to extend by a further season, Khel Now can exclusively reveal.
The 23-year-old arrives from Iraqi club Al-Najaf FC and becomes the Capital side’s marquee foreign addition ahead of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2026-27 season, which begins on October 10.
“Nigerian international Nduka Junior, who was heavily linked to Moroccan club Raja Club Athletic earlier in the summer window, has agreed to join ISL side SC Delhi for the upcoming ISL season,” a source tracking the transfer told Khel Now.
SC Delhi are not done. Khel Now understands the club remains in talks with a foreign striker and are likely to complete that signing before the season starts.
The move comes days after SC Delhi’s Durand Cup run ended in the semi-final, where they lost to East Bengal on penalties after a goalless draw in Kolkata on August 19.
Who is Nduka Junior?
Junior made his name at Remo Stars, where he was handed the captain’s armband as a teenager and led the club into the Nigeria Premier Football League after promotion in September 2021.
Under him, Remo Stars posted consecutive top-two NPFL finishes and reached the CAF Champions League, where he faced opponents including Morocco’s AS FAR Rabat.
He left Nigeria in the 2025-26 season for Erbil SC in the Iraq Stars League, reportedly on a five-year deal. He moved to Al-Najaf FC in January and played 26 matches in Iraq that season.
His career record stands at 158 first-team appearances, eight goals and seven assists.
Junior was first called into the senior Nigeria squad in May 2025 for friendlies against Jamaica and Ghana, but did not get on the pitch.
He captained Nigeria at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in August 2025, playing three matches against Senegal, Sudan and Congo. The tournament is restricted to players registered with clubs in their own domestic leagues.
What does Nduka bring to SC Delhi?
Junior is a right-sided centre-back who has played in both a back four and a three-man defence, and his passing range lets him step into a holding midfield role or shift to right-back when needed.
The more unusual part of his game is his set-piece delivery. At Remo Stars, he was the club’s primary dead-ball taker, converting penalties and scoring direct free-kicks from distance, including a winner against eventual champions Rivers United.
Captaining a first-team side from his teens also gave him an organisational role in defence that SC Delhi will lean on. The club conceded sparingly through the Durand Cup, including a clean sheet against East Bengal over 120 minutes.
SC Delhi’s busy summer window
SC Delhi have been among the most active clubs in the window, and much of that activity has been outgoing.
The Capital side released several players from last season’s campaign, including Alex Saji, Muhammed Rafi, Isaac, Ousmane Fane and Julio Rivas.
Coming in, they have added David Richard Ndayishimiye, Duván Viáfara, Lalrinliana Hnamte, Rodriguinho and Juan Pena.
They have also invested in youth, signing Diamond Singh, Irengbam Newtan, Kamgouhao Doungel and Ringsangmi Lungharwo. Newtan, Doungel and Lungharwo have since been loaned out, while Diamond Singh remains with the first team.
On retentions, the club has extended the contracts of Mohammed Aimen, Mohammed Azhar, Nora Fernandes, Gogou, Joseph Sunny and Ashutosh Mehta.
What happens next
With Junior signed and a striker still being pursued, SC Delhi are close to settling their foreign contingent before the October 10 start.
Clubs can register six foreign players under the ISL’s new club-led framework, with a maximum of four permitted in the playing XI at any time.
Who have SC Delhi signed?
Nigerian centre-back Nduka Junior, on a one-year deal with an option for a further season. He joins from Iraqi club Al-Najaf FC.
Which clubs were interested in Nduka Junior?
He was heavily linked with Moroccan side Raja Club Athletic earlier in the summer window before agreeing terms with SC Delhi.
Has Nduka Junior played for Nigeria?
He captained Nigeria at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in August 2025, playing three matches. He was called into the senior squad in May 2025 for friendlies against Jamaica and Ghana without featuring.
Will SC Delhi sign more players?
Khel Now understands the club is in talks with a foreign striker and is likely to complete the signing before the season begins.
When does the ISL 2026-27 season start?
ISL 2026-27 starts on October 10, 2026.
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Ashish Negi is the co-founder and CEO of Khel Now. A computer engineering graduate from LPU (2015), he has been closely following and covering Indian football and sports since 2007. He started the Indian Football Team Facebook page in 2013 and later handed it over to the AIFF in 2015 when it had grown to over 500K followers. Ashish continues to drive Khel Now’s vision while staying deeply connected to the pulse of Indian sport.