Coventry City feature from CoventryLive as latest Sky Blues signing Frank Onyeka opens up about hardship and his determination to fulfil his dream
15:20, 18 Feb 2026
Frank Onyeka on his Coventry City debut
Frank Onyeka has made an immediate impact at Coventry City
Frank Onyeka’s arrival at Coventry City caused much excitement and anticipation among the fans, joining with a stack of Premier League experience and an intimidating nickname to match.
His task? To help the club fulfil their promotion ambitions and return to the top flight of English football. Frank Lampard’s midfield has been crying out for a bit of added steel and the man who revels in his moniker, ‘The Tank,’ didn’t disappoint as he did exactly what it says on the tin in one of the most impressive Sky Blue debuts in years – helping to contain top-of-the-table rivals Middlesbrough and play his part in a superb victory at the CBS Arena.
The game was the Nigerian international’s first in the Championship, having moved to England to help his parent club Brentford get a foothold in the highest division in 2021. His journey to the best league in the world was not a straight-forward one.
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In stark contrast to the mollycoddled academy route made by many a homegrown talent, Onyeka has experienced real hardship growing up on the streets of Benin City, the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria, playing football in bare feet as a kid and working as a roofer at the age of 16 to help support his family.
Asked to paint a picture of his formative and teenage years, the surprisingly quietly spoken midfield hard man told CoventryLive: “It wasn’t the best, I would say. It was really tough.
“I started playing football on the street, in barefoot, no football boots. We used stones for goal posts.”
Coventry City's Frank Onyeka shows his strength as he holds off Middlesbrough's Alan Browne
Coventry City's Frank Onyeka shows his strength as he holds off Middlesbrough's Alan Browne
One of five siblings, the young Onyeka was encouraged by his mother to study rather than play football but eventually she gave up and let him follow his dream.
“My mum didn’t want me to play football,” explained the 28-year-old, who has joined Coventry on loan with an obligation to sign permanently, subject to promotion.
“She was always upset seeing us playing football because she wanted me to study but I think at some point she just decided to let me do what I wanted to do, and she bought me my first pair of boots.”
Her son’s hard work and determination eventually paid off, but there were more challenges to come.
“She’s really happy now,” he said. “She prays for me every single day and she’s so proud, seeing me play on the highest level and also representing Nigeria. She’s really happy.”
Born the son of a rice company manager father and mother who had her own clothing business, young Frank also had to pay his way once he left school.
“My dad lost his job so my mum had to be the one to cater for the family,” he said. “She has her own kids and women’s clothing business but it was quite a difficult period at one point.”
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Aged 15, he commuted for a while before starting work and eventually moving away from home.
“At some point I had to get the train to training at my first club about an hour away and then get the train back with a couple of friends.
“Then when I was 16 I did a little bit of roof work because, you know, in Africa you have to do something to try and help assist the family, and I was doing that and then I got the opportunity to go to FC Ebedei. It wasn’t easy, but looking back I’m really proud of my journey and where I am today.”
FC Ebedei – located in Sagamu, Ogun State, more than 250 kilometers from Benin City – is a club with ties to Midtjylland in the Danish Superliga. And after impressing at the club he earned the chance to move to Denmark.
Moving three and a half thousand miles away from home – a 10 hour plane journey – is quite something for a teenager, showing real strength of character and determination to succeed.
“Nothing comes easy in this life,” he said, philosophically.
“I had the opportunity to travel to Denmark when I was 17 and that’s how everything changed. You need to challenge yourself, you need to work hard because, I mean, there are a lot of people who just sit at home and hope that things are going to go well and come easy for them now.
“But you need to work hard. You need to do everything; you need to train yourself to make sure that you do everything you can to make it in life.
“I think for me, I was happy to move away from home because this is my dream. I wanted to do something. I wanted to play football and I was really happy, you know, to take the opportunity to leave home and go to train myself and do what I love to do. And I think the challenges I faced growing up, the journey I have had has shifted me to who I am today.”
He added: “It was very different in Denmark; the weather, the culture, the food... it was something I wasn’t used to and it was quite different. But I think at some point, my adopted family helped me, and the coach and I learned the language a bit, but not much. Although I spent four or five years there, it wasn’t something I was interested in. They tried but it was too difficult for me.”
While in Denmark he met Victor Torp, the two now reunited at Coventry.
“We played together at the academy but not in the first team,” said Onyeka. “He was very good, a good lad and he’s a very technical player. His free-kicks are amazing and I am happy to see him here. It’s a nice feeling.”
Frank Onyeka during his Midtjylland where he earned his 'Tank' nickname for making tackles like the one here on Duvan Zapata of Atalanta during the UEFA Champions League Group D stage match
Frank Onyeka during his Midtjylland where he earned his 'Tank' nickname for making tackles like the one here on Duvan Zapata of Atalanta during the UEFA Champions League Group D stage match
Aged 22/23 he was scouted by newly promoted Brentford and moved to England, making his competitive debut for the club in the first match of the season, starting in a 2–0 victory against Arsenal – the Bees’ first ever Premier League win.
So was it always his ambition to play in the Premier League?
“Uh, yes, but not so soon,” he said. “I think that jump from Denmark to England happened so soon because it was not something that I expected at that point but I was really happy that I had a chance to come to England.”
As for how much his former Brentford manager Thomas Frank helped him develop his career, Onyeka said: “Yeah, I think he helped me a lot. He spoke to me, gave me the opportunities to play games. But it wasn’t just him, it was a lot of people around the club. And you know, for me, it’s a love. It’s a club that is family orientated and quite similar to how things are here.
“But Thomas Frank really helped me as a player and as a person as well. He tried to teach me things, trying to improve my game.
“Brentford felt like home, being there so long, and leaving them twice wasn’t easy. I made lots of friends, including the amazing staff and it wasn’t easy.”
The first departure was to spend a year on loan at Augsburg in the German Bundesliga last season.
“It was good,” he said. “It was the same, I made friends, the club was really good. The people were nice and I think I settled in quite easily. I don’t know, everywhere I go I just settle in. I don’t know if it’s because of me or it’s because of the people.”
Now at another crossroads in his career, having joined Coventry on loan with a view to becoming a permanent player if the club get promoted, is he hoping to find ‘home’ again?
“Yeah because coming here there is ambition as a club and if we get promoted it would be really amazing,” he said. “Torpy has helped me settle but not just him, the other boys as well. I love the boys.”
As for his nickname, which was coined by one of his Danish coaches when he was 19 and stuck, he said: “Maybe it scares other people but, for me, when I hear ‘The Tank’ I just feel like, ‘yeah, I’m the guy,’ and to go into every tackle and not be afraid of anything. So I love it.”
What did you think of The Tank's debut? Click HERE to have your say.
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