The goalkepper crisis currently rocking the Super Eagles of Nigeria ahead of their friendly game against Senegal has made coach Gernot Rohr hand a shock call up to a former Nigeria U-17 goalkepper.

Carl Ikeme is the only goalkepper available in the camp of the Super Eagles as Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Daniel Akpeyi are yet to arrive London due to visa issues.

In the absence of the duo, Rohr has handed a first time call up to 27 year old Peckham Town shot stopper Tope David Okeowo, who was a part of the Nigeria U-17 team to the 2003 U-17 World Cup in Finland.

Okeowo was the deputy goalkepper to Ambrose Vanzekin who kept goal all through the tournament for the Nigerian team that also has now established stars like John Obi Mikel and Chinedu Obasi Ogbuke.

Peckham Town, where Okeowo keeps goal are playing in the Kent County Premier League, a non-league side in England, and the league is rated as the 7th division in English football League placements.

*Osas Mahawi

The Super Eagles of Nigeria are exploring all means available to the players and technical crew in their bid to win their upcoming competitive games against South Africa and Cameroon.

Nigeria will take on South Africa in their first 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers before playing back to back games against Cameroon when the World Cup 2018 qualifiers resumes in September.

The Eagles took out time to watch past games of the Cameroon senior national team and South Africa alongside their coaches, Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

A lot went down during the session which was held at the camp of the team situated at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, where they are presently lodged.

They also watched past games of tomorrow’s opponent Senegal with coach Gernot Rohr keen on the the team maintaining their winning momentum, after picking up three wins in their last three games under him.

*Michael James reporting from London.

Despite picking up a 3-1 win over Algeria in their last World Cup 2018 qualifiers, players of the Super Eagles watched and analysed flaws noticed during the course of the morale boosting victory.

Coach Gernot Rohr pointed out areas where the team needs to work on ahead of their next set of competitive games against South Africa and Cameroon respectively.

The coach also made the defenders realised areas where they could have done better as they might be punished by another team, if such is repeated in future games.

Rohr also received inputs from some of the players in the session which Owngoalnigeria.com correspondent alongside others were barred from.

*Michael James reporting from London

The none inclusion of the China based Super Eagles trio of Brown Ideye, Mikel Obi and Odion Ighalo have been communicated to players of the Super Eagles by coach of the team Gernot Rohr.

The trio were left out of the squad for the upcoming friendly games against Senegal and Burkina Faso which will take place in London on the 23rd and 27th of March at Barnet’s stadium mostly referred to as The Hive.

There has been speculations about the reason behind their exclusion from the squad but Rohr lifted the lid on the reasons behind their absence, in a chat with the players monitored by Owngoalnigeria.com.

Owngoalnigeria.com correspondent in London reports that Rohr confirmed our story on the reason behind their exclusion, saying they were not included because he wants them to settle down at their new team and environment.

He further revealed to the players that they will however be included in the team for future games, if they maintain their form for their respective Chinese teams.

* Michael James writes in London

The emergency goalkepper called up by Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has arrived the camp of the Super Eagles, Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Carl Ikeme is the only goalkepper in the camp of the team ahead of tomorrow’s clash against Senegal, a situation which has forced coach Gernot Rohr to call up a goalkepper as cover.

Owngoalnigeria.com has earlier speculated that AFC Wimbledon shot stopper Edward Ogeibor-Onaiwu was under consideration but it ended up not being him.

” He arrived the camp before lunch and had lunch with the team. His name is not Edward Ogeibor-Onaiwu rather Tope. He just introduced himself as Tope. We will watch him in training later”,Owngoalnigeria.com Michael James revealed.

Nigeria could present a team of players with only four players on the substitute bench against Senegal on Thursday, Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

So far 17 players are in the camp of the team ahead tomorrow’s clash at The Hive, and going by scoops gathered by Owngoalnigeria.com they are the only players expected to dress for the game unless some players arrive the team’s camp.

As exclusively reported by Owngoalnigeria.com, A British born goalkepper of Nigerian descent is already under consideration by coach Gernot Rohr following uncertainty over the quick arrival of Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Daniel Akpeyi.

Akpeyi according to reports has been ruled out of the clash totally, a situation which forced Rohr to hand a call up to the unnamed Nigerian goalkepper born in the United Kingdom.

However, Oghenekaro Etebo, Uche Agbo and Musa Mohammed are also feared out of the clash with Senegal due to visa issues, if they fail to meet up with the team for their last training session by 4pm later today.

*Michael James writes in from London

The Super Eagles of Nigeria are facing a goalkepper crisis ahead of their friendly game against Senegal billed for Barnet stadium popularly called The Hive Stadium.

Carl Ikeme is the only goalkeeper in the camp of the team, as the other invited goalkeppers are yet to arrive the camp of the team due to issues bothering on visa and travel plans.

FC Ifeanyi Uba shot stopper Ikechukwu Ezenwa left the shores of Nigeria today for London while Chippa United Daniel Akpeyi is not due in until Thursday due to a public holiday in South Africa, which delayed his visa.

Ikeme who isn’t fully fit as he missed the team’s first session is the only player guarantee to be in the squad as a goalkepper. A situation which has lead to talks about inviting a Nigerian goalkepper based in England.

The name of the shot stopper wasn’t given out by the technical crew but Owngoalnigeria.com gathered that talks are already at an advanced stage with the goalkepper, who is a British footballer of Nigerian descent.

From our checks former Charlton Athletics Shot stopper Edward Ogbebor-Onaiwu is the only British Nigerian shot stopper playing for a professional team in England, who can be called up as an emergency back up before the other goalkeppers arrive.

Ogbebor -Onaiwu failed to make Nigerian U-17 team before returning to England, where he joined English League One club AFC Wimbledon. The 16 year old tried his luck at Leicester City and Nottingham Forest before settling for Wimbledon.

*Michael James In London

Players of the Super Eagles of Nigeria who are currently in London preparing for tomorrow’s friendly game against Senegal are currently observing their second training session which is their last ahead of the game.

Owngoalnigeria.com correspondent in London reports that the one noticeable trait among the players in the camp is the way they are treating stand in captain Ahmed Musa.

Musa who will captain the team in tomorrow’s game and possibly against Burkina Faso on Monday, has been well received by the players as a senior colleague in the team.

The players of the team usually allow the Leicester City man do most of the demands of the captain, which one of them say it’s just normal as he is the oldest player in the team.

” It’s so normal that we accord him the respect he deserves as the stand in captain and senior player in the team. As you have noticed we are all looking up to him to guide us. He has so far not failed us”, the player told Owngoalnigeria.com.

*Michael James in London

A video of Super Eagles latest invitee singing and dancing during their initiation has been shared by some players of the team.

The new players Isaac Success, Tyroone Ebuehi, Olarenwaju Kayode and Joal Noah Sareren Bazee were all made to either sing or dance during their initiations.

See Video Below:

pic.twitter.com/8kJadxtSF5

— ISAAC SUCCESS (@SuccessIsaac) March 22, 2017

https://twitter.com/ogujohnugo/status/844291155403640833

https://twitter.com/ogujohnugo/status/844293079205105664

Owngoalnigeria.com correspondent who is in London for the Super Eagles friendly games against Senegal and Burkina Faso has given us details of how the Super Eagles first training session evolved.

As usual coach Gernot Rohr took part with the team during their traditional warm up which had 16 players in attendance, but only 14 trained fully as Carl Ikeme and Noah Joel Sarenren Bazee sat out the session.

The duo however took part in the warm up before training separately with the Eagles physical trainer, while the rest of the players were involved in a mini game.

It started with a five against two warm up game which was followed up by a game of seven aside between the 14 players who took part in the training, Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively report.

John Ogu, Kelechi Iheanacho, Tyroone Ebuehi and Wilfred Ndidi were among the players who gave a good impression of themselves during the course of the short game, which was played without goalkeppers as the only goalkepper in camp Ikeme isn’t fully fit.

*Michael James (In London).