1. Overview
Alex Tchuimeni-Nimely (born May 11, 1991), commonly known as Alex Nimely, is a Liberian-English former professional footballer who played as a forward. His career began in Liberia and Cameroon before he joined Manchester City in 2008. While at Manchester City, he gained experience through loan spells at Middlesbrough, Coventry City, and Crystal Palace. Following his time in England, Nimely played for clubs in Romania, Norway, and Finland, including Poli Timișoara, Viitorul Constanța, Stabæk, and Honka, before returning to England with Kettering Town. Internationally, Nimely represented England at the under-20 level before ultimately accepting a call-up to the Liberia senior national team. He is the elder brother of fellow Liberian international Sylvanus Nimely.
2. Early life and background
Alex Tchuimeni-Nimely was born on May 11, 1991, in Monrovia, Liberia. His father is English.
2.1. Youth career
Nimely began his youth football development in Liberia, playing for Barrack YC and Mighty Barrolle from 1997 to 2007. During his time with Mighty Barrolle, the club won the Liberian Premier League title in 2006. He then moved to the Cameroonian club Coton de Garoua, where he played from 2006 to 2008, making 9 appearances and scoring 5 goals. Coton de Garoua achieved significant success during this period, winning the Elite One title in the 2006, 2007, and 2007-08 seasons.
3. Club career
Alex Nimely's professional club career spanned several countries, beginning with a notable period at Manchester City which included multiple loan spells, followed by transfers to clubs in England, Romania, Norway, and Finland.
3.1. Manchester City F.C.
Nimely went on trial with Manchester City in December 2007 and subsequently signed a four-year contract with the club on January 16, 2008. He contributed to City's victory in the FA Youth Cup in 2008. His Premier League debut came on April 3, 2010, as a substitute in a 6-1 win against Burnley at Turf Moor. The following month, he signed a new four-year contract with Manchester City. On December 16, 2010, he featured in a UEFA Europa League group stage match against Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, which ended in a 1-1 draw, securing City's progression as group winners. He was substituted in the 61st minute, replaced by Pablo Zabaleta. This match marked his final appearance for Manchester City.
3.2. Loan spells
While contracted to Manchester City, Nimely gained further professional experience through several loan periods with other English clubs.
3.2.1. Middlesbrough F.C.
On September 17, 2011, Nimely joined Middlesbrough of the Championship on a three-month loan. His debut for "Boro" occurred three days later in the League Cup, a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. He also made his league debut against Ipswich Town. He played nine league matches for Middlesbrough, though he did not start any further games after his initial appearances.
3.2.2. Coventry City F.C.
Nimely secured another loan move on January 12, 2012, joining Coventry City for the remainder of the 2011-12 season. Manager Andy Thorn expressed high hopes for him, calling him a "hot young prospect." Nimely scored his first goal in the English Football League on his debut for the "Sky Blues," contributing to a 3-1 victory against his former loan club, Middlesbrough, at the Ricoh Arena.
3.2.3. Crystal Palace F.C.
On January 10, 2013, Nimely signed a loan deal with Crystal Palace for the remainder of the 2012-13 season. Manager Ian Holloway expressed his long-standing admiration for Nimely. He made his debut two days later, coming on as a substitute in a 1-0 loss to Burnley. He made only one additional appearance for Crystal Palace before returning to Manchester City.
3.3. Port Vale F.C.
In November 2014, Nimely signed a contract with League One club Port Vale, intending to stay at Vale Park until the end of the 2014-15 season. However, his tenure was marked by disciplinary issues. In January 2015, he began training with Bolton Wanderers. The following month, he was disciplined by Port Vale manager Rob Page for being absent from Vale Park without permission. He repeated this unauthorized absence in March. While still absent, he offered to play for Coventry City for free, but his offer was declined by manager Tony Mowbray, who cited Nimely's previous underperformance during Mowbray's time as manager at Middlesbrough. Nimely was subsequently released by Port Vale in May 2015.
3.4. Romanian clubs
Following his departure from English football, Nimely resumed his career in Romania, where he played for two different clubs in the country's top division.
3.4.1. Poli Timișoara
In February 2016, Nimely signed with Romanian Liga I club ACS Poli TimișoaraPoli TimișoaraRomanian. During the 2015-16 season, he made 10 appearances and scored three goals.
3.4.2. Viitorul Constanța
Nimely then joined FC Viitorul ConstanțaViitorul ConstanțaRomanian in July 2016. Under the management of Gheorghe Hagi, he played 21 matches across all competitions during the 2016-17 season, including 18 league appearances, and scored a total of six goals.
3.5. Norwegian and Finnish clubs
Nimely's career continued with spells in Norwegian and Finnish top-tier leagues, seeking more consistent playing time.
3.5.1. Stabæk
On April 1, 2017, Nimely signed a two-year contract with Norwegian Eliteserien club Stabæk FotballStabækNorwegian, who acquired him for an undisclosed fee. However, his playing time was limited due to the strong form of teammate Ohi Omoijuanfo, resulting in only 13 league appearances (one start and 12 as a substitute) and two goals. Seeking more regular football, Nimely requested the termination of his contract, and Stabæk agreed to release him just ten weeks after his arrival in Bærum.
3.5.2. Honka
After an unsuccessful trial with Azerbaijan Premier League club Kapaz PFK, Nimely signed with Finnish Veikkausliiga club FC HonkaHonkaFinnish on February 7, 2018. He made 25 appearances across all competitions, including 20 league appearances, during the 2018 season, contributing to Honka's fifth-place finish.
3.6. Return to England
Nimely eventually returned to England, joining a non-league club to continue his career.
3.6.1. Kettering Town
In August 2019, Nimely returned to England and joined National League North club Kettering Town. He made 4 appearances for the club.
4. International career
Alex Nimely's international career involved representing England at the youth level before ultimately accepting a call-up to the senior Liberian national team.
4.1. England U-20
In May 2010, Nimely rejected a call-up from the Liberia national team for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, publicly stating his preference to play for England due to his English father. He was subsequently called up to the England under-20 squad for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Egypt. On October 2, he scored England's only goal of the tournament in a 1-1 draw against Uzbekistan at the Mubarak International Stadium. England was eliminated in the group stage. In November 2011, he received his first call-up to the England under-21 team but had to withdraw due to injury. He was not called up to any higher-level England teams thereafter.
4.2. Liberia national team
In October 2016, Nimely accepted a call-up to the Liberia senior national team. He was an unused substitute in a friendly match against Kenya on November 15, 2016.
5. Personal life
In January 2014, Alex Nimely was involved in a car crash in Manchester and was subsequently charged with driving with excess alcohol. He admitted to the offense and was fined 600 GBP and banned from driving for 18 months. He has a younger brother, Sylvanus Nimely, who is also a footballer, playing in Liberia and having represented the senior Liberia national team.
6. Career statistics
| Club | Season | Division | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Manchester City | 2008-09 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009-10 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2010-11 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2011-12 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012-13 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2013-14 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Middlesbrough (loan) | 2011-12 | Championship | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Coventry City (loan) | 2011-12 | Championship | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| Crystal Palace (loan) | 2012-13 | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Port Vale | 2014-15 | League One | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ACS Poli TimișoaraPoli TimișoaraRomanian | 2015-16 | Liga I | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 |
| FC Viitorul ConstanțaViitorul ConstanțaRomanian | 2016-17 | Liga I | 18 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 6 |
| Stabæk FotballStabækNorwegian | 2017 | Eliteserien | 13 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 |
| FC HonkaHonkaFinnish | 2018 | Veikkausliiga | 20 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Kettering Town | 2019-20 | National League North | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Career total | 95 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 106 | 13 | ||
- "Other" column includes appearances in the UEFA Europa League.