Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal that Nigeria international shot stopper Emmanuel Daniel could make his debut for Premier South Africa League side Orlando Pirates this weekend.

Daniel joined the Buccaneers as a free agent by signing a pre contract during the last transfer window as exclusively reported by Owngoalnigeria.com in January.

He was suppose to be eligible for the team in June as they have filled up their foreign players quota, but a goalkepper crisis and the availability of a space for a foreign player following the release of Ghanaian midfielder Edwin Gyimah has made them fast track plans to hand him his debut this weekend.

Pirates first choice goalkepper Brighton Mhlongo is battling to be fit due to a niggling injury while second choice goalkepper Jackson Mabokgwane is suspended following his red card.

Daniel has already impressed the handlers in a friendly game against Black Leopards as reported by Owngoalnigeria.com, and the club are battling to register him before their weekend clash against Cape Town City.

” We don’t know for now if he will make his debut due to registration issues but it’s looking likely, the club are handling it as we speak. He is a free player, he didn’t extend his deal with Enugu Rangers so we don’t expect to have any problems”, his intermediary told Owngoalnigeria.com.

Former boss of Manchester City Manuel Pellegrini who is now the head coach of Chinese side Hebei China Fortune has spoken out about his plans to sign some players he has worked with in the past.

Pellegrini who gave Nigerian forward Kelechi Iheanacho his breakthrough at Manchester City last season, listed the Nigerian as part of the players he would love to work with at the Chinese club in the future.

Although the Nigerian has found games hard to come by under new City boss Pep Guardiola, Pellegrini insist the 20 year old forward is very happy at the Etihad.

” I have worked with a whole lot of players, but some I feel I won’t love working with them in the nearest future but I won’t mind luring some to join me in China,” Pellegrini said.

” The young players have worked with in the past are the ones I strongly feel we could work again before I retire, there are many like Iheanacho but I know he is very happy at Manchester City”,

Issa Hayatou’s quest to hang on to power at the helm of African football has taken a big hit with the news that Nigeria is backing his rival Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar.

Ahmad’s aspiration to oust Hayatou who has been CAF president since 1992 has dominated the headlines in the build up to the CAF elections in Ethiopia next month.

He believes he has already garnered enough support to see off the veteran Hayatou and told a radio broadcast on Wednesday that he now also had the backing of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Amaju Pinnick. “He is a close ally and belongs to the group that wants change in African football administration,” said Ahmad.

The Madagascan FA chief insisted his bid to succeed Hayatou, who has had health issues in recent months, was nothing personal but simply to breathe new life into the confederation, something reportedly supported by FIFA president Gianni Infantino who was in Zimbabwe last weekend and has been in Qatar for the last couple of days at a summit with Asian federations.

Ahmad argues that CAF’s Executive Committee wields too much political influence on deciding hosts for CAF competitions and wants the entire membership to have an input. It has not gone unnoticed that the CAF exco last month withdrew hosting rights to the 2017 under-17 Nations Cup from Ahmad’s native Madagascar, a decision linked by some observers to his bid to end Hayatou’s reign.

“I’m preparing for the CAF election like any other election. We want change in the Confederation. We need a reform in the finance programme of CAF,” insisted Ahmad. “We want ex-footballers to join the body. “I’m not going after Issa Hayatou or replacing him, the goal is to change the system.”

CD Feirense have been handed a big boost after the full recovery of Nigerian star Oghenekaro Etebo from the injury that has kept him out for one month.

Etebo is available for selection this weekend when they take on Boavista in the Portuguese league, and his fitness will no doubt gladdens the heart of the technical crew of the club.

Since limping out of Feirense’s clash against Vitoria Guimaraes on the 14th of January with a thigh muscle injury, he has missed the games against Estoril, Moreirense, Rio Ave and Tondela.

So far injuries have limited Etebo’s appearances for the newly promoted Portuguese side as he has only made ten league appearances this season, with just a goal to his name this season which game in the Portuguese cup.

The 21 year old forward return to full fitness will also put him in contention for Nigeria’s set of friendly games against Senegal and possibly Ghana in March.

There are palpable fears that William Troost-Ekong will struggle to get game time at Belgian side Gent after a successful loan spell in Norway with FK Haugesund.

Ekong has been out on loan since joining the Belgian side but he is expected to push for a first team spot after impressing for Haugesund in the recently concluded season in Norway.

After a splendid performance for Nigeria at the Rio 2016 Olympics, his regular run of games in Norway where he captained the team to a respectable finish in the league has helped his international career blossomed.

The Dutch-born Nigerian defender has formed a formidable partnership with Leon Balogun in the heart of Nigeria defence, a combination that is now known as “Oyibo Wall”.

Coach of the Super Eagles Gernot Rohr is reportedly worried that Ekong could be starve off game with Gent, as the back four of Lasse Nielsen, Stefan Mitrovic, Rami Gershon and Nana Asare appears to be untouchable for now.

The coach has already advised the 23 year old to switch to a tougher league, but it appears even at Gent he could struggle to get game time when his registration is done in January.

Belgian side Gent defeated English Premier League Europa League flag bearer Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in a round of 32 game of Europe’s second tier competition.

Gent paraded two Nigerians from the start in Moses Simon and Anderson Esiti, while Esiti lasted the entire duration of the game, Simon was replaced with 16 minutes left to play in the game by another Nigerian in Samuel Kalu.

Simon was lively for the minutes he was on the pitch, pushing the opponent defenders into defending deep with his direct approach, pace and quick feet.

Esiti on the other hand was towering in the middle as the giant midfielder orchestrated things from the middle for his team, with crisp neat passes although he was twice beaten for pace.

The other Nigerians at the club Rabiu Ibrahim and William Troost- Ekong were not dressed for the tie, with Rabiu missing out with a tendon injury while Ekong was omitted from their Europa League squad.

The left full back spot of the Super Eagles is still a thing of worry for coach of the Super Eagles Gernot Rohr, who is keen on having more options before the start of the AFCON 2019 and resumption of World Cup 2018 qualifiers.

Rohr in a chat with NFF.com lamented the struggles of regular left full back Elderson Echiejile at his club Monaco before his loan move to Spanish side Sporting Gijon on transfer deadline day.

The Franco-German coach of the Super Eagles is worried that he might not be match fit when the Eagles regroup for competitive games later in the year.

His worry can also be extended to the fact that Echiejile deputy Kingsley Madu is also struggling to nail down a permanent shirt at Belgian side Zulte-Waregem.

Madu has been sparingly used by the Belgian league leaders in league games, although he has featured in almost all of their games in the domestic cup.

Owngoalnigeria.com understands that Spanish La-Liga side Espanyol have handed a player from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) a chance to undergo trial with the club.

We gathered the said player is in his first season in the NPFL, although he has been around the youth teams of the Nigeria national teams in the past two years.

His deal is similar to that which took Ezekiel Bassey to Barcelona, and it will be handled by the LMC/La-Liga office just like that of Bassey.

A meeting was reportedly held between his intermediary and top brass of the LMC regarding the move, and the 18 year old forward could arrive Spain next week for talks with the Barcelona based team.

We will reveal his name and club by next week, when he is expected to be in Spain…..WATCH THIS SPACE

AS Roma Nigerian right back Nura Abdullahi has recovered from the setback he suffered on his return from the injury that kept him out for almost six months.

Nura’s recovery came as a surprise to the doctors of the Serie A side, as he was expected to miss the rest of the season due to the injury.

Owngoalnigeria.com gathered from his Nigerian intermediary Mohammed Lawal that the all action right back will play again this season, after recovering faster than expected.

” Nura will definitely play this season, his recovery went well, as a matter of fact faster than anticipated. He is raring to go”, Lawal told Owngoalnigeria.com.

He also pointed out that the 19 year old will play for the Primavera side to build up his fitness before making the step up ro the main team.

FC Porto Nigerian defender Chidozie Awaziem received his 11th yellow card of the season as FC Porto II ended a five game winless run with a 2-0 win over Penafiel.

Awaziem was on for the entire duration of the game, and as usual marshaled the defence line from his role as the central defender of the under-performing defending champions of the second division in Portugal.

However he got booked in the 57th minute, his second booking in consecutive games as well as his 11th of the season with the B team of FC Porto.

The 20 year old had his breakthrough last season with the first team, where he made 13 appearances but so far he is yet to get a game with the first team.

His poor disciplinary record could be one of the reasons why he is no longer with the first team, as he has form a habit of picking up cards for foul play although he has only been sent off once.