Three players of Nigerian descent who are on the radar of the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle have been tipped for a first time call up to the senior national team of Italy, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Chelle has been active in luring players of Nigerian descent to be a part of his project with the Super Eagles, after leading them to a third place finish at the AFCON in January.

Already he has succeeded with Ryan Alebiosu, Felix Agu, Emmanuel Fernandez, Arthur Okonkwo and recently highly rated Millwall winger Femi Azeez.

His idea to have more players has suffered a setback with the trio of Luca Koleosho, Michael Kayode and Honest Ahanor set to get a first time call up to the senior national team of Italy.

Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport names 11 uncapped players who are likely to be part of the Italy squad for June friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece. The aforementioned trio were included.

Silvio Baldini the interim coach of Italy has looked the way of Michael Kayode of Brentford who was scheduled to meet with the Super Eagles coach in London.

Luca Koleosho who is on loan to Paris FC from relegated English Premier League side Burnley is also on the card. Chelle was relying on Moses Simon to convince him to play for Nigeria.

Atalanta defender Honest Ahanor complete the list. The 18 year old recently got an Italian passport and made his debut for their U21. He snubbed an approach to be part of the Nigerian team for the AFCON.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The impending summer transfer of highly rated Nigerian teen Zadok Yohanna of Swedish side AIK has taken a different turn not envisaged by anyone in the last 72 hours, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

The 18 year old winger has become one of the hottest young prospects in European football following a series of outstanding performances in Sweden this season, attracting growing attention from top clubs across the continent.

Sources close to the situation indicate that a long list of clubs from the Premier League, Bundesliga and France have also entered the race to sign the Nigerian wonderkid in recent months.

We further gathered that a number of European clubs have already held meetings and discussions with the player’s representatives Roni Layous and Ayi Muhammed regarding the future of the highly rated winger.

Known for his explosive pace, flair, dribbling ability, and fearless attacking style, Zadok is widely viewed as one of the best emerging wingers outside Europe’s top five leagues.

Despite strong interest from multiple European sides, Real Madrid have now reportedly joined the race and are believed to be seriously evaluating a potential move for the highly rated youngster as part of the club’s long term strategy focused on elite young talents worldwide.

People familiar with the situation suggest that initial contacts have already taken place, while AIK remain fully aware of the rapidly growing market surrounding their star player.

According to sources, AIK are demanding a transfer fee in the region of €30 million to consider selling Zadok Yohanna, a figure that would make him one of the most expensive transfers in Scandinavian football history.

The Swedish club reportedly see the Nigerian winger as a generational talent and are under no pressure to sell immediately, especially with several major European clubs continuing to push for his signature.

Zadok Yohanna’s rise continues to attract attention across world football. From Nigeria to Sweden, and now heavily linked with Real Madrid and Europe’s elite clubs, the young winger’s journey is only just beginning.

He will be having his first taste of senior international football this month, after making the list of players called up by the coach of Nigeria Eric Chelle for the upcoming Unity Cup tournament in London.

Daniel Martins

Euphoria greeted the decision of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to appoint young UEFA certified coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere as the new coach of the U17 team of Nigeria.

A lot of football followers were excited that a young coach with modern ideas will be in charge of the team, a clear departure from the act of recycling coaches for the team which hasn’t produced much in recent times.

Nigeria have failed to qualify for the last two editions of the U17 World Cup, a tournament that they hold the honour of the most decorated team in history with five titles.

Many will want to disagree, but the recent failure encounter by the team has little or nothing to do with coaching, rather more of the haphazard nature of the team’s preparation for tournament.

Due to the lack of an organised structure or a proper U15-U17 league in the country, the old method of using open screening is still very much in place. A practise that has become obsolete and out of fashion.

Most times, at least in the last four years as many as 1,000 young footballers will converge at the Goal Project football pitch in Abuja to be assessed by coaches. It is usually done like a month or two before the qualifiers.

Coaches will select the best that they can see, and place others who came via recommendations from trusted associates in a different pool. Next will be the mandatory Magnetic Resonance Imaging Test popularly referred to as MRI Test.

The last six teams of Nigeria at this level have been recomposed after the Test meant to curb age fraud. The test from experience usually wipes out most of the regulars leaving the coaches to begin the process of raising a new team few days to either a tournament or qualifiers.

Two years ago, they started the process of players undergoing the test before coming to camp, but it didn’t yield the expected results, hence they went back to the practise of having a pool of over 100 players picked for the test.

For the young coach Eboboritse to succeed, the system has to be made a lot simpler and less cumbersome. He succeeded with the youth project at Sporting Lagos, but he is coming into a field that is a trap and has all the recipe for failure as seen with previous coaches.

Maybe working as an assistant before his elevation to the main coach would have helped, but Nduka Ugbade who walked down that rope also failed largely due to the above mentioned outdated, mundane and unorganised pattern of operation.

The NFF as we all know are not open to changing ideas, approach and mode of operation, because most times they have square pegs in round holes holding sensitive positions with little or no idea on how to function properly in such capacity.

Like the old saying goes ” You can’t give what you don’t have”. May Eboboritse Uwejamomere succeed but the odds are starkly and firmly against him.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Italian Serie A champions Inter Milan have Nigeria international goalkeeper Maduka Okoye at the top of their summer transfer wishlist, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Inter Milan are locked in talks with their first choice goalkeeper Yan Sommer over a short extension of his deal that will expire in the summer, after initially accepting to let the 37 year old leave.

They could still be open to his departure, if a deal to sign Okoye from Udinese materialise in the summer per what we exclusively gathered from sources in Italy.

Okoye has ten clean sheets this season, the third best among all goalkeepers in Italy this season only behind the duo to Jean Butez of Como (18) and man he is tipped to replace in Sommer (17).

Among goalkeepers playing for mid table teams, he is the best and Udinese are said to be open to his departure, but only for a fee in the region of €30 million. A fee that could still be negotiated with two years left on his deal.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Swedish side AIK have accepted the invitation of fast rising Nigerian winger Zadok Yohanna to the senior national team of Nigeria for the upcoming Unity Cup friendly tournament in London, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Zadok was among the new players handed a first time call up to the team by head coach Eric Chelle, who wants to use the tournament to blood in new player in lowly rated but competitive European leagues.

The 18 year who is strongly linked with a summer transfer to German giants Borussia Dortmund in the summer transfer window put himself in the frame, with five goals and four assists in 12 games all competitions this season.

AIK were initially reluctant to let him leave as the date of the tournament will coincide with their top game against Hammarby, but after a chat with the camp of the player he was given the go ahead.

Meanwhile the knock he picked up in their 2-4 defeat to Djurgaden that led to his substitution isn’t as bad as initially feared, hence he is expected to be back for the game against Vasteras this weekend.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle is excited over the prospect of having Millwall winger Femi Azeez in his team following his decision to pledge his international future to Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Born in England to parents of Nigerian descent, Azeez accepted to pledge his future to Nigeria rather than wait for a call up to England, after a very good season in the English Championship.

The 24 year old was voted into the official team of the season, and also narrowly missed out on winning the player of the year in the division. His team also lost out in the playoff semi final yesterday to Hull City.

It means he will be available for selection by Nigeria for the upcoming Unity Cup friendly tournament, and Chelle can’t wait to have him in his ranks.

He sees the winger in the mould of Bayern Munich star Michael Olise in the way that they play. Particularly when it comes to beating their man on the flanks.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

With three goals in his last five games for Spanish LaLiga side Valencia Sadiq Umar has denied having any disagreement with head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle, OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Sadiq netted the winner for Valencia against Atletico Bilbao last weekend his fifth goal in the league since moving to Valencia from Real Sociedad in the January transfer window.

His form has been largely responsible for their position in the league, where they moved from battling to be in the top division and now eyeing a mid table finish.

Unconfirmed reports say the 29 year old had a rift with Chelle after he was excluded from the team that finished third at the AFCON. A report which he blatantly denied.

” I have not had any conversation with the coach to that extent and it’s shocking that people will just fabricate stories about me, that isn’t true. Sometimes I wonder what I have done to some people in the media”, Sadiq told OwnGoalNigeria.com in an exclusive chat.

” Allah (God) has given me the opportunity of playing for Nigeria and that is something I don’t take for granted and I look forward to more opportunities, but if it doesn’t come I will support the team with all that I have”, he concluded.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle has complied the list of players that will represent Nigeria at the upcoming Unity Cup friendly tournament in London, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Chelle has already drafted a 30 man list which will be made public later this week. The coach also placed some players on standby in the event that any of the invited players fail to make it.

We can exclusively reveal that Moses Usor of Austrian side LASK is on standby, and will get a call if any of the wingers invited fails to make it after an impressive season in Austria.

In 30 League games, the 24 year old scored 13 goals and provided five assists. In the Cup which they won he had two goals and four assists in 5 games.

The tournament according to Chelle is meant to access players like the former 36 Lions FC man, and other players playing in competitive but less glamorous leagues in Europe.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Barring a last minute change of mind head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle

Nigeria U20 winger Suleiman Sani has been given the medical all clear to make his debut for German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in their final game of the season, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Sani picked up a knock in his first week of training with the German side following his record sale January transfer from Slovakian side AS Trenčín.

The knocked delayed his debut for the team, where he is viewed as the obvious replacement for sought after winger Yan Diomande who is expected to leave the club in the summer transfer window.

However after returning from Austria, where he underwent a special physical session to improve his body strength and balance, he is now back in training with the hope of making his debut next weekend.

RB Leipzig are already sure of finishing third and also a spot in the UEFA Champions League, and will use the game against Freiburg to likely hand him his debut, bearing in mind that it’s a dead rubber game.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman