Fears over the availability of Ademola Lookman for the senior national team of Nigeria when they return to action in the world cup qualifiers have been made clear by Italian Serie A side Atalanta, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Two days ago Lookman underwent tests after the blow he suffered in training ahead of their UEFA Champions League game against Barcelona. He departed the session with a knee problem. Latest report indicate that it is a distraction trauma to the right knee involving the lateral joint compartment.

There is no clarity yet on the next action the club will take regarding his case because they need him to see a specialist to be accurate with when he is expected to return. But many people familiar with his situation predict a three to four weeks absence, which means he is expected back in action by the end of February.

The expected timing of his return means he will likely be available for Nigeria in the world cup qualifiers games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe respectively, allaying the concerns and fears of new coach Eric Chelle.

Chelle was already warming up to the idea that the talisman could miss the games, and will no doubt be excited with the latest report that has remove the doubts over his involvement in both games.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Portuguese giants Benfica will test the resolve of Belgium side Genk to hold on to their top striker Tolu Arokodare in the January transfer window with a bid of €9m, OwnGoalNigeria.com understands.

Genk are not opposed to the exit of the 24 year old but they want any potential deal to wait till the summer and not in the ongoing January transfer window, but that hasn’t deterred interested clubs like Benfica from trying their luck.

According to reports in Portugal, a bid of €9m is reported to be what they are preparing to offer for the forward who has 14 goals in 23 league games this season, and is heavily tipped for a first time call up to the senior national team of Nigeria in March.

Reports in Belgium say Genk will reject the offer because they rate him twice the value of the reported offer, and won’t want to risk their season by letting go of their talisman without any replacement in sight.

Arokodare is said to be open minded on his options, and he won’t bother waiting till the summer rather than push for a move in the ongoing January transfer window, which closes tomorrow.

Daniel Martins

Bayer Leverkusen forward Nathan Tella has played himself into a strong position to be selected for the senior national team of Nigeria when they regroup for the world cup qualifiers games in March, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Tella hasn’t been involved with the Super Eagles since his sole cap in the world cup qualifiers game against Zimbabwe in November 2023. His absence was due to his lack of game time at Leverkusen which has now changed for good.

Yesterday he opened his goal account in the UEFA Champions League with the second goal in their 2-0 win over Sparta Praha in the final round of games in the group stage of the tournament.

The goal which was his third of the season is coming on the back of comments made by the newly appointed coach of the Nigerian team Eric Chelle, who said he will monitor all players before deciding on who to pick in his first selection of players for his first assignment, which will be the world cup qualifiers games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe respectively.

Speaking to the official media channel of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the coach explained how he intends to pick his first squad as coach with emphasis on monitoring players before making a decision.

“Most of them are good. They are playing well. I want to check again against Rwanda and Zimbabwe. After that, I will make my first selection. Then we will be ready. We must focus on following the players. It’s very good now, and a lot of Nigerian players are very good. So we need to be focused and be ready”, he said.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Coach of Manchester City Pep Guardiola has praised the efforts of Belgium side Club Brugge despite their 1-3 loss to his team in the final round of games in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.

Guardiola’s team rallied back from a goal down to claim a 3-1 win, which secured their passage to the play off for the round of 16. Club Brugge also advanced despite the defeat.

Looking back at how they fought their way back into the game, Guardiola praised the organization of the visitors which he said they were prepared for knowing fully well that they haven’t lost in over 22 games, predicting a bright future for their young players which includes Nigeria international Raphael Onyedika who scored their lone goal.

“The first-half was so academic, we didn’t have the spark to do it against a team that defends really well and especially with the ball they do really, really well. They are fast, young and with a big future. It’s not a surprise that in the last 21, 22 games they have been unbeaten. That means a lot of games and we knew it.

Both teams will know their opponent on Friday when the draws for the play off will be made. It will be a two legged game which will be played on home and away basis in February.

Head coach of Bayer Leverkusen Xavi Alonso has given his opinion on what is next for Nigeria international forward Victor Boniface after his failed attempt to join Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Al-Nassr verbally agreed a deal for the transfer of Boniface worth around €65m and also agreed personal terms with the 24 year old. However despite having his medicals the club pulled the plug on the proposed deal.

They walked away from the agreement and instead signed Aston Villa forward Jhon Durán for more money, and also a better wage than what was agreed with Boniface. A sign of how well they rated the Colombian ahead of the Nigerian.

Alonso was asked about the situation of the Nigerian at the club after the entire transfer fiasco that led to his non inclusion in the team that played their last game in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.

“We will certainly talk about it when we meet again. It can happen [that a transfer doesn’t work out]. We spoke before this transfer period and Boni was open to a move, but he feels comfortable here. He will focus on staying here and will be positive about his situation and fight for his position in the team”, he said after the 2-0 win over Sparta Praha.

He went further to say Boniface will be in the squad against Hoffenheim on Sunday: “Normally yes.”. He rounded up by ruling out the signing of another striker before the close of the January transfer window. “Of course not.”

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Bayer Leverkusen director Simon Rolfes says certain circumstances led to the collapse of the proposed transfer of Victor Boniface to Saudi Arabia side Al-Nassr, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Al-Nassr verbally agreed a deal for the transfer of Boniface worth around €65m and also agreed personal terms with the 24 year old. However despite having his medicals the club pulled the plug on the proposed deal.

They walked away from the agreement and instead signed Aston Villa forward Jhon Durán for more money, and also a better wage than what was agreed with Boniface. A sign of how well they rated the Colombian ahead of the Nigerian.

Defending their role in the failed transfer, Rolfes said they were open to the deal because of the money involved, but sadly the deal fell through and Boniface will now return to training in preparation for the weekend game against Hoffenheim.

“The circumstances did not lead to him being sold. Of course, economic considerations always play a role when certain sums are involved. The current situation is that he is very likely to stay. We are happy about that”, he said.

“He is still a Bayer 04 player. Of course, there have been talks, but we are happy that he will be training with us tomorrow. I assume that he will stay. He feels comfortable here, his attitude towards the club is unchanged.”

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The impending transfer of Nigeria international forward Victor Boniface to Saudi Arabia outfit Al-Nassr won’t be happening according to David Ornstein of The Athletic.

Al-Nassr verbally agreed a transfer fee of €60m with Bayer Leverkusen for the transfer of the 24 year old, who also agreed personal terms and passed a routine medical. Al-Nassr however placed payment of the agreed transfer fee on hold.

Boniface who extended his deal secretly last week and got his wages increased to €6m per year till 2029 reportedly agreed €15m a year deal with the Saudis. Almost three times the worth of his present pay but still hasn’t been able to complete the move due to some reluctance on the part of Al-Nassr.

It has now emerged that have agreed a deal for Aston Villa forward Jhon Durán my agreeing to to pay a transfer fee in excess of €70m. A whooping €10m more than what they agreed to pay for the transfer of Boniface.

They also agreed to pay the 25 year old Colombian €18m a year, €3m more than what was agreed with Boniface with the deal expected to be sealed after their game against Celtic in the UEFA Champions League.

The agreement with Dhuran means Boniface will remain at the German side until at least the summer , when he expects to leave following a breakdown in his relationship with top officials of the club, and also losing his spot to Patrik Shick.

Daniel Martins

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle has revealed how he intends to decide players he will call up tongue team for their upcoming world cup qualifiers games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe respectively, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Chelle will get his first baptism of fire as coach of the team in March , when they play the above mentioned games in the world cup qualifiers, where they are presently 5th in their 6 team group, four points behind group leaders Rwanda.

The coach is expected to pick his players for the games next month, with an initial preliminary list of 35 players before it will be prune down to 30 for the games in Kigali and Uyo respectively.

Speaking to the official media channel of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the coach explained how he intends to pick his first squad as coach with emphasis on monitoring players before making a decision.

“Most of them are good. They are playing well. I want to check again against Rwanda and Zimbabwe. After that, I will make my first selection. Then we will be ready. We must focus on following the players. It’s very good now, and a lot of Nigerian players are very good. So we need to be focused and be ready”, he said.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

French Ligue 1 side Marseille have offered out of favour Super Eagles striker Kelechi Iheanacho the chance to get his career back on track by joining them on loan, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Marseille handled by coach Roberto De Zerbi have submitted a proposal to have him on loan, as part of their plans to improve their options in attack. Talks have been held with all the parties involved in the proposed deal.

However they are not the only club from France interested in him, and there are also interest from teams in the English Championship, Greek side Panathinaikos and Italian Serie A side Genoa are also among his admirers.

He is still evaluating and will soon make a decision on his immediate future before the close of the winter transfer window on the 31st of January.

Iheanacho has been told he can leave Sevilla in the ongoing January transfer window, just six months after his move to the club on a free transfer from English Premier League side Leicester.

Since joining the Spanish side he has only scored three goals and it came in the Copa Del Rey against teams from lower divisions. In the game against teams in the LaLiga he is yet to score in nine game.

Sevilla have already brought in another Nigerian in Jerome Akor to increase their option, and in the process put themselves in a position to allow the 27 year old Nigerian leave.

Daniel Martins

Newly appointed coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle has found a way around the lack of a creative midfielder in the setup of the senior national team of Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Past coaches of the Super Eagles have lamented the absence of a classic playmaker in the mould of former captain and legend Austine Okocha, saying it is partly why the team haven’t been scoring goals as expected despite having top strikers.

Chelle who was appointed into the role of coach of the team by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is an apostle of the diamond formation, which doesn’t need a classic number ten to function effectively.

As seen at the last AFCON, his Malian team played the renowned diamond setup which involves positioning the midfielders in a diamond and features a flat four-man backline, and two forwards up front, while the diamond is created by the defensive midfielder, double 8s, and the attacking midfielder.

Certainly, this provides a numerical advantage in the middle of the pitch, potentially giving positional superiority over the opponent’s two or three midfielders.

However, it is worth noting that this concentrated central setup sacrifices presence on the wings.

This presence can vary, sometimes lower with fullbacks in 4-1-2-1-2 or higher with wingers in 3-1-2-1-3.

The utilisation of the diamond can vary based on the players’ roles and the coaches’ strategies.

Typically, teams rely on a No.6, who can be either a deep-lying playmaker (regista) responsible for retention and distribution or a defensive midfielder who shields and protects the play.

This role sure is reflected in the duo of central midfielders who cover a whole lot of ground and may function as box-to-box players shifting the creative responsibility to the wingers , and having the midfielders make late runs into the box to compliment the forwards.