The future of Kelechi Iheanacho is settled with the 27 year old set to join Spanish LaLiga side Sevilla on a free transfer following his exit from Leicester City upon the expiration of his contract, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Iheanacho will team up with another Nigerian in Chidera Ejuke who joined the team on a free transfer from Russia side CSKA Moscow, after spending the final year of his deal at Belgium side Antwerp.

Coach of Sevilla Garcia Pimienta is a huge admirer of the 55 caps Super Eagles forward and approved his signing as a replacement for Youssef En-Nesyri, who joined Turkish Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe a few years ago.

He is expected to lead the line for the team next season and will be hoping to better his tally of six goals and three assists last season in Leicester City’s successful promotion campaign back on the English Premier League.

An offer of a contract was turned down by the forward who have been at the club since 2017. He leaves with a total of 61 goals and 34 assists in 232 games.

Daniel Martins

Head coach of Aston Villa Unai Emery has one key issue to address before the close of the summer transfer window and that is getting a striker to deputize for top striker Ollie Watkins, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Emery has so far spent the heaviest in the ongoing summer transfer window among all clubs in the English Premier League, but the area of a backup striker is still unaddressed with the coach keen on a proven and experienced player in the league.

He also wants a striker who won’t be bothered playing second fiddle to Watkins and that is why he has reached out to Nigeria international forward Kelechi Iheanacho, who is out of contract at Leicester City.

Iheanacho is available for free and ticks the right boxes for the kind of striker the coach has in mind, owing to the fact that he has occupied such capacity for Leicester over the years as backup to Jamie Vardy.

According to Birmingham Live contacts have been made already with his representative, but at the moment they are studying offers from other teams notably newly promoted English Premier League side Ipswich Town.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Super Eagles midfielder Raphael Onyedika is fired up for a great season ahead, and remains unfazed by the plethora of clubs jostling for his signature in the summer transfer window.

Yet, the lure of playing in the Premier League could be just enough to sway the Club Brugge player’s stance.

Onyedika joined FC Midtjylland as a raw and untapped teenager in 2020, to very little fanfare. But things changed swiftly as even seasoned internationals the likes of Henrik Dalsgaard and Vagner Love who he got to train together and play with soon caught the awe of his talent, something he feels immensely “proud” of.

Having arrived the Jan Breydel Stadium in 2022 from Denmark, Onyedika had set about cementing his place in the Club Brugge first team setup, first under manager Carl Hoefkens and still.

Last season saw him play a starring role in the middle of the park for his side as they finished fourth in the First Division A, and now, he’s poised for more.

Onyedika has courted attention all through the 2023/24 season, thanks to his brilliant displays for Club Brugge and this summer promises to be an interesting one.

Spanish La Liga giants, Barcelona had reportedly made advances at the player in the course of last term while Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Everton are as well keeping tabs on the 23-year-old.

Per SportsBoom an unnamed Saudi Arabian club have joined the mix, tabling an astounding offer and are ready to meet Club Brugge’s asking price of £20million for their prized asset.

“It’s really flattering when you see these names, this calibre of clubs getting interested in your services”, he told SportsBoom.com.

“You know straight away you’re doing the right thing, and that’s why these talks keep coming.

“I only concentrate on playing my game, and not necessarily who’s talking. Much of these I do not decide on my own, you know.. My agent will have to look at everything, and at the end decide what is best for all parties.”

Quizzed on if he’d ever consider the Middle East, he said: “Not sure the Middle East is the best place for my development at this moment.

Talking about the speculations linking him with a move to the Premier League, Onyedika believes the English topflight remains a dream.

“The Premier League? These are places you can’t say no to as a top professional. When they come calling and everything is right, sure of course.”

The likes of Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Dennis are Nigerians who had made the jump to the Premier League after turning out for Club Brugge in the past. And he hopes to follow in their footsteps”.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Nigeria international winger Chidera Ejuke introduced himself to fans of the club at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan by winning the man of the match award in the Trofeo Antonio Puerta pre season tournament.

Sevilla defeated Saudi Arabia side Al Ittihad 1-0 to wkn the one game pre season tournament organized in honor of late Spanish football Antonio Puerta. It was Ejuke’s first game in front of the home fans of the team following his move from Belgium side Antwerp.

Ejuke started the game and showed his abilities on the ball by ghosting pass his markers with ease. He had defenders of the opposition on the back foot for the period of time he was on the pitch.

At the end of the game he was voted the most valuable player, but head coach of Sevilla García Pimienta said he has the potential to be a great player if he can be consistent for a longer duration of the game.

“Ejuke can be a great player, we wanted him with us. But you can’t only be good for 25 good minutes. He is a player who has to be differential and he can get to even higher heights because of his age”, he said while reacting to the award won by the 26 year old.

Mohammed Suleiman Yusuf

The participation of Nigeria international forward Terem Moffi for Ligue 1 side Nice from the start of next season has been thrown into doubt,  OwngoalNigeria.com reports.

Nice are currently at their training camp for the final lap of preparation ahead of yhe start of Ligue 1, but their Nigerian forward hasn’t been involved in the preparations due to an injury.

We gathered that the 25 year old picked up a knock which will likely keep him out for a considerable length of time, effectively ruling him out for the start of the season.

Moffi who has scored a total of 20 goals in 52 games since his move from fellow Ligue 1 side Lorient. His absence will no doubt dent their hopes of starting the season on a high.

However it could open the door for another Nigerian in Victor Orakpo to be a part of the first team set-up. The 18 year old who joined the team six months ago, but has already made it to the first team after a rush of goals for the youth team.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

German league and cup winners Bayer Leverkusen resumed preparation for the defence of their titles with a 2-0 win over 3rd division German side Rot-Weiss Essen, OwngoalNigeria.com reports.

The Europa League finalist who ended their domestic season unbeaten opened scoring through one cap Nigeria international winger Nathan Tella to hand them a 1-0 win going into the half time break.

Tella started alongside his Nigeria international teammate Victor Boniface who was voted the rookie of the year in the Bundesliga after his performance in his debut season at the club and the league.

Boniface who was lively all through the duration he was on was however unlucky not to get on the score sheet with Tella claiming the accolade of scoring the first goal of their pre season.

Substitute Patrick Shick made it 2-0 with around ten minutes left to play in the game. Their next test will be against French side Lens on the 3rd of August.

Mohammed Suleiman

Respected Italian journalist Umberto Chiariello has lashed out at the behavior of Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen at Italian Serie A side Napoli, OwngoalNigeria.com reports.

Osimhen who has spent four years with the former Italian champions that he powered to the league title two seasons ago. In the process he became the first African player to win the highest goal scorer in the history of the Serie A.

Last season he failed to match the height he hit , and this summer he is widely expected to leave the club with PSG the team most reported to be keen on his services, but are unwilling to match the €120m release clause which was inserted in his deal when he signed an extension in December.

Despite his feat at the club, Chiariello insist that the 25 year old has been problematic at the club describing him as unmanageable, which he said has left everyone tired regardless of his obvious talent level which in his words is higher or at par with the likes of Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Lautaro Martinez.

Speaking on TV Play, Chiariello explained Napoli’s aim in the transfer market. “One minute after Osimhen leaves the Azzurri goal, Lukaku is already there with his suitcase packed. There shouldn’t be any surprises in this sense. I like the Belgian a lot, not a lot. Let’s start from a premise: no one is as strong as Osimhen except Kane, Haaland and then there’s Lautaro who is another absolute top.

“That said, Osimhen is also the most unmanageable of all and after four years in Naples we are also a bit tired’, he concluded. 

As the search for a new coach for the senior national team of Nigeria gather pace , one of the coaches whom we reported is shortlisted for the job has confirmed, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in a communique made it clear that they are going for an expatriate coach to be the next coach of the team, following the disappointment of the last round of games in the world cup 2026 qualifiers , where they were held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa before losing 1-2 to Benin Republic.

Finidi job was relieved off his role, and he has since gone ahead to pick up the job of the coach of Nigeria top division league side Rivers United. The NFF as we exclusively reported shortlisted three coaches for the job.

One of the coaches is the former coach of Gambia Tom Saintfeit, who is seen as the front runner for the job alongside the former coach of Mali Eric Chelle. Saintfeit who is presently in charge of the Philippines says he has offers from other African countries not just the Super Eagles.

“Countries like Tunisia, Algeria, Cameroon, Nigeria and Ghana have shown interest in my coaching style. My ultimate goal is to coach at the World Cup, not just to be there, but to achieve great results.

“Being at the World Cup represents the pinnacle of a coach’s career, and I am determined to make a significant impact there, showcasing the skills and potential of the team I lead.”

That might look like a tall task at the moment with the Philippines who have lost all of their four opening games of the qualifiers in their zone.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

A winner of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with the senior national team of Nigeria Efe Ambrose says the team still need the experience and guidance of 36 year old defender Leon Balogun, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Balogun hasn’t played for Nigeria since 2022 and after getting his club career back on track, Ambrose who says he watches the defender for Scottish side Rangers urged the national team selectors to look his way owing to the position of the team in the 2026 world cup qualifiers.

Nigeria are presently 5th in their world cup qualifiers group after drawing 1-1 with South Africa and losing 1-2 to Benin Republic. The qualifiers for the AFCON begins in September and Ambrose feels there is a need to bring back the 36 year old who has 45 caps for the team.

He said Balogun’s experience is still needed and will help the team as a whole considering that he was the main stay of the defence that secured the ticket for the 2018 World Cup by forming a strong partnership with William Troost-Ekong which was dubbed the “Oyibo Wall”.

” I think Balogun can be what Pepe is to Portugal for the Super Eagles. He is still very relevant here at Rangers and highly regarded and players like that are needed when a team is in a dire situation like that of the Super Eagles at the moment”, he said from his base in Scotland.

” You can’t take it away from Balogun that was he was key to the team qualifying for the 2018 World Cup with a game to spare. The famous Oyibo Wall with Ekong was a thing. You don’t let a player of that nature , mentality and quality go like that especially when he is still active”.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The second highest goal scorer in the recently concluded Nigeria Professional Football League Sikiru Alimi says the departure of former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Finidi George will hamper the chances of players in the league making it to the Super Eagles, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Alimi finished with 14 goals, four behind top scorer Chijioke Mbaoma of Enyimba who finished as top scorer last season. He said the exit of the coach who handed call up and a debut to his teammate Ismaila Sadiq will have a huge effect on hope of players in the league making it to the Super Eagles.

Finidi was axed after the disappointment of the last international break, where the Super Eagles were held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa before losing 1-2 to Benin Republic. The result which saw them drop to 5th in the six team group for the world cup qualifiers made the NFF to say they will get an expatriate coach for the Nigerian team.

Speaking in an interview with SportsBoom.com, Alimi said . “Honestly, it would affect call-ups for home-based players, unless the new coach proves otherwise,” he admits.

“Most expatriate coaches hired for the Super Eagles don’t follow the League, hence, don’t even know the players, or the quality of players the league has”.

He however admitted that the players playing abroad have an edge due to the better environment under which they play at their various teams. ”

“Honestly, it’s not the right thing to do making comparisons,” he says.

“There would definitely be lots of qualities from the foreign pros because of the quality of infrastructures, equipment, and technical teachings they are exposed to, compared to the home-based.”

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman