Efe Ambrose is by no way a happy man after a proposed move to German Bundesliga side Schalke 04 broke down due to issues beyond his control, Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Ambrose turned down a move to Standard Liege of Belgium after Celtic agreed a deal worth £300,000 for his transfer, but the Nigerian would have ended up at Schalke 04 were it not for a disagreement over the terms of his transfer.

Celtic reportedly gave Ambrose verbal assurance that he can leave for free if he finds a team, but later had a change of mind when they found out he was close to agreeing a deal with the German giants.

The Scottish side reportedly asked the Germans to pay a transfer fee for the 27 year old, which infuriated Schalke 04 and made them pull the plug on the deal, which left the Nigerian devastated.

Standard Liege were Celtic preferred option for the Nigerian as they would be able to recoup some of their investment on the defender, but Ambrose wasn’t interested and made it clear he would rather stay at Celtic than move to the Belgian side.

He will now stay and fight for his place at the Scottish side despite making only two appearances since Brendan Rodgers took charge of the team. The Nigerian will be hot in demand when he becomes a free player in 12 months time, as his experience puts him in the bracket of players teams will view as bargain buy next summer.

As reported by Owngoalnigeria.com two days ago, Dream Team VI and Super Eagles defender Shehu Abdullahi has left relegated Portuguese side Uniao Madeira for Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta.

Through official channels, Uniao Madeira confirmed his transfer but failed to mention the worth of the transfer fee Anorthosis Famagusta paid for his services.

Also the duration of his deal with the Cypriot side wasn’t mention and the terms upon which he was transfered was also not captured in the announcement by the Portuguese side.

Last season, the midfielder who is also comfortable as a full back made 28 appearances in the league for Uniao Madeira, the team that at a point in time placed a one million euros price tag on him.

The 23 year old is presently with the Super Eagles in Uyo preparing for Nigeria’s final AFCON 2017 qualifiers game against Tanzania in Uyo. He will join up with his new team after the game on Saturday.

Shehu a bronze medal winner with the Nigeria U23s at the recently concluded Rio 2016 Olympics joined Uniao Madeira last summer on a free transfer from Kuwaiti side Al Qadsia.

Newly appointed Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles Gernot Rohr says he won’t be bothered if he is owed his monthly salary by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

The German made this known during a press briefing which took place in Uyo, ahead of the AFCON 2017 qualifiers dead rubber tie against Tanzania, this Saturday.

” I was owed between 6-8 months in Niger. I’m used to been owed in Africa. I have a contract and I am focusing on honouring it” He said in response to a question on the attitude of the NFF when it comes to owing coaches backlog of salaries.

On Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the 63 year old German said he is not making any promise that Nigeria will qualify but believes with the quality in the team, the motivation to qualify is there.

” There is no guarantee that the Super Eagles will be in Russia because there is so much quality in our group but the motivation is very high” He said.

He went ahead to confirm that he will retain John Obi Mikel as captain of the team due to the leadership qualities he has seen in the Chelsea midfielder.

” Mikel John Obi is the man for the captaincy because of the leadership qualities he’s shown. He will remain as captain of the team”.

Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles Gernot Rohr says he will hold talks with former captain of the Super Eagles Vincent Enyeama to see if he can persuade the Lille shot stopper to come out of international retirement.

As reported by Owngoalnigeria.com on the 18th of August, the German coach confirmed during the press parley of the team, that he will arrange a meeting with the former Super Eagles captain after this weekend game against Tanzania.

” I plan to meet with Enyeama after the game against Tanzania, I will most likely meet him in France and see how best I can persuade him to come out of international retirement as he is still very much vital to our plans of reaching Russia 2018″ He said during the press parley.

” For the Tanzania tie, we have Carl Ikeme who will come in today and two others in camp with us, so we are covered in that area”.

Enyeama was forced to quit the senior Nigeria national team in October 2015 after a row with former coach Sunday Oliseh, a day after he was stripped of the captain’s armband of the team.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are keeping secret the identity of the company that will pay the monthly salary of new Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr, to avoid the company from been a target of militant groups in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

The German signed a two year contract to coach the Super Eagles on a monthly salary reportedly worth $47,000 (N18.6m), which the NFF said will be handled by a private company based in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

Oil rich Niger Delta have been battling with the activities of militants, who have been blowing up oil installations in their bid to get the government to listen to their appeal and develop their land.

An oil company based in the region has picked up the bills of the new Super Eagles coach according to a source at the NFF, but the identity of the company that will pay Rohr’s salary won’t be disclosed to the public, so as to prevent the company from been a target of the dreaded Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

” Nigerians shouldn’t worry themselves, Rohr’s salary is not an issue but we won’t be revealing the identity of the company that has picked up the bills, for security reasons judging by the ongoing unrest in the Niger Delta” a source told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” We don’t want to put any company in the spotlight by announcing them as sponsors of Rohr’s salary, it will make them a target of the militants, Nigerians will understand what am talking about”.

Nigeria youth international Taiwo Awoniyi has been given the all clear to resume his loan spell at Dutch side NEC Nijmegen, after receiving his work permit.

The 19 year old will spend the rest of the season on loan to the Dutch side, his second consecutive loan spell since joining Liverpool in the summer of 2015.

A late omission from the Nigeria Olympic team that won Bronze at the Rio 2016 Olympics. He is rated in some quarters as Nigeria’s most promising forward but his rise has slowed down a bit due to inconsistency in his form last season while on loan to FSV Frankfurt in Germany.

Last season, he was at German second division side FSV Frankfurt, where it took him six months before he made his league debut for the team that eventually got relegated to the third division.

His team at the German side wasn’t what he has hoped for and at Dutch side NEC Nijmegen, he will be hoping the luck of picking up his favourite jersey number 9 bring to him, the good fortunes he enjoyed that made Liverpool snap him up.

Newly appointed coach of the Super Eagles Gernot Rohr won his first game as coach of the senior Nigeria national team by whipping Akwa United 3-0 in a friendly game.

Owngoalnigeria.com bring to you the various roles, players of the Super Eagles played in the German’s first game in charge.

First Half: ( 4-3-3)

Ikechukwu Ezenwa started in goal with Musa Mohammed and Elderson Echiejile manning the right and left full back roles respectively.

In central defence Kano Pillars Jamiu Alimi paired FC Porto’s Chidozie Awaziem with Shehu Abdullahi just in front of the them as the deepest of the midfield trio of himself, Wilfred Ndidi and Nosa Igiebor who was the most advanced.

In attack, Imoh Ezekiel and Victor Osimhen both played on the flanks with Brown Ideye leading the line for the first half team.

Ikechukwu Ezenwa

Musa Mohammed

Elderson Echiejile

Shehu Abdullahi

Nosa Igiebor

Wilfred Ndidi

Jamiu Alimi

Chidozie Awaziem

Imoh Ezekiel

Victor Osimhen

Brown Ideye

Second Half: ( 4-2-3-1)

Emmanuel Daniel replaced Ezenwa in goal while the duo of Mohammed and Echiejile retained their full back roles.

As exclusively reported by Owngoalnigeria.com, Leon Balogun partnered William Troost Ekong in central defence, the partnership rumoured to be the German’s favourite in competitive games.

Ogenyi Onazi was the deepest of the midfield trio with Mikel Obi and Kelechi Iheanacho ahead of him, however Manchester City teen forward Iheanacho was more like the man behind the main striker Odion Ighalo.

On the flanks Ahmed Musa attacked from the right, while Victor Moses took his position on the left side of the team’s attack in the second half.

Emmanuel Daniel

Musa Mohammed

Elderson Echiejile

William Troost Ekong

Leon Balogun

Ogenyi Onazi

Mikel Obi

Kelechi Iheanacho

Victor Moses

Ahmed Musa

Odion Ighalo

The Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated Nigeria Professional Football League side Akwa United 3-0 in a friendly game played yesterday at the Nest of Champions Stadium in Uyo.

Owngoalnigeria.com brings to you five players of the Super Eagles who distinguished themselves during the game, which came to a sharp end when the floodlights failed to come on.

1. Victor Osimhen

The Wolfsburg bound teen has no doubts played his way into the hearts of Gernot Rohr with his lively, all action style of play.

Osimhen played upfront with the duo of Brown Ideye and Imoh Ezekiel in the first half, operating from the left side and was at the heart of every meaningful move made by the team.

He was enterprising, simply un-playable and made the crowd cheer whenever he is on the ball, missed a chance to score bar that, had a game to be proud of.

2. Victor Moses

Moses picked up from where he left up at Chelsea with a performance that proved he could be a mainstay of Rohr’s team.

He was very comfortable on the ball, glide past his markers with ease and almost scored a solo goal, that saw him dribble almost 8 players.

3. Brown Ideye

Lead the line very well, played like one with a grudge against Akwa United, always available for a pass, deservedly got the goal his movement in the box deserves.

Ideye, will no doubt on the strength of his showing start against Tanzania.

4. Chidozie Awaziem

One for the future, a true talent beyond words, strong in tackles, won almost all his duels and calm in possession,also very good at building from the rear with neat passes.

The FC Porto teen star dovetailed nicely with Jamiu Alimi in defence in the first half, and one aspect of his game which has been wowing the coaches and fans since the start of training for the Tanzania tie, is his ability to hit long passes from the back with precision.

5.Nosa Igiebor

Eye brows were raised when he was invited for the Tanzania tie, but the Maccabi Tel Aviv man proved his doubters wrong with a display that showed his high energy level.

Scored a goal and alongside Wilfred Ndidi and Shehu Abudllahi they dominated the midfield in the first half, denying Akwa United time and space on the ball with a pressing style that forced the Nigeria Professional League side into surrendering possession cheaply.

Newcastle United forward Sammy Amoebi will spend the rest of the season on loan to English League One side Bolton Wanderers, the club has announced.

24 year old Amoebi is not in the plans of manager Rafa Benitez after returning from a loan spell at Cardiff City the previous season.

Younger brother to former Nigeria international Shola Amoebi, the skillful winger has been at Newcastle United since 2008, and progressed through the ranks of the Championship side.

However he has failed to nail a permanent spot in the first team and has has twice been sent out on loan by the club, to teams where he can get game time and develop.

He switched allegiance to Nigeria in 2014 despite representing England at Under-21 level, but he is yet to be handed his first call up to the senior Nigeria national team, no thanks to his unstable club career.

As exclusively reported by Owngoalnigeria.com two days ago, former Sunshine Stars of Akure forward Okiki Afolabi has joined Atletico Talleres de Cordoba on a one year deal.

Okiki left Sunshine Stars with 13 goals to his name in the Nigeria Professional Football League and despite claims of ownership from two other parties, he was signed as a free agent by the Argentine side.

The forward was unveiled today by the Argentine side, two months after he left Nigeria for Argentina, where he spent time on trials with Racing before moving to Talleres.

As reported by Owngoalnigeria.com, there was no word from the club on his other Nigerian counterpart, Tonbara Tiongoli who went to Argentina with him.

The duo started trials with Talleres but it appears only Okiki was considered good enough by the club after his fine performances in the three test games he played for the team.