Former Nigeria national team golden boy Kelechi Nwakali made his first appearance of the season for Barnsley playing the final 18 minutes of their 0-1 defeat to Stevenage.

Nwakali was frozen out of the first team setup after resuming late for pre season training, the season reason why his former team Huesca terminated his deal after resuming two weeks later than he was supposed after representing Nigeria at the AFCON in 2022.

Yesterday with his team already behind, the 27 year old was introduced for his first appearance of the season, walking his way back into the first team setup following demotion to the youth team.

He still has a year to run on his deal at the club, but a decision is expected to be reached in his future at the end of the current season before the start of pre season training.

” It’s been a while”, he posted on Instagram celebrating his return to first team football after eight months in the wilderness.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

There has been reports in some sections of the Nigerian media about head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle handing a first time call up to Plymouth forward Owen Oseni ahead of the Unity Cup, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

The 22 year old who had youth stints at Aston Villa and Watford is said to be on the radar of the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria, with ten goals and five in 33 games in all competitions this season for the third division English side.

His goals is largely why they are still in the hunt for promotion via the playoff, but he is seen as not ripe enough for a senior national team chance according to sources close to the coach.

” The reports are wide of the mark because Chelle doesn’t know him. I can see that he is not a bad player but it’s a bit too soon for him to be in conversation of a senior national team call up”, he said.

” Although the tournament is meant for majorly players the coach wants to see at a certain level. It’s a bit too soon for Owen and he knows it”.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle is putting finishing touches to his list of invited players for the upcoming Unity Cup next month in London, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Chelle has already said he won’t be calling on his regular players for the tournament, where they will be defending their title with their first game against Zimbabwe, before taking on either of Jamaica or India in the other game of the tournament.

Aside confirming that he will pick players from teams in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Chelle also said he will give opportunities to fringe players and those who are based in second rated but competitive leagues in Europe.

One of the players hoping to get a look in is Liverpool U21 defender Wellity Lucky Omoruyi , who was born in Spain to parents of Nigerian descent.

He is eligible to play for Nigeria, England or Spain and has international experience with the youth teams of the European teams , but none at all with Nigeria.

” If he is an option for Nigeria then he will gladly head to the camp in London for the Unity Cup. It’s hard to say to a football country like Nigeria when they call you”, his representative told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Omoruyi will however face a daunting task convincing Chelle to give him a chance as he is yet to play for the first team of Liverpool, although he is in the same situation like Benjamin Fredrick a year ago at the same tournament, who made his mark despite playing for the U21 of Brentford.

Former Crystal Palace teen sensation and former Nigeria U20 invitee Ademola Ola-Adebomi is pushing to be included in the Super Eagles squad for the upcoming Unity Cup tournament in England, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

The 22 year old moves to Austrian side WSG Tirol in the summer on a permanent deal from Palace , where he was an U21 player but already made his first team debut and also trained with the senior team a couple of times.

In Austria he has built a reputation of a power playing forward, who is very good at holding up play leading to three goals and three assists in 20 games this season.

While he is keen on adding to his numbers for the modest side his agent says he is a good fit for the Eric Chelle system of the senior national team of Nigeria.

” I see Chelle plays with a two man attack and it’s perfect for Ola. The numbers are pretty decent for a modest team in Austria and he is hopeful of getting a look in for the Unity Cup, because the coach wants to give opportunities to players in less rated but competitive leagues. He is an English boy and won’t need administrative assistance to be in London”, his representative said.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Three players of the senior national team of Nigeria have been told to look elsewhere at the end of the season by English teams, who are preparing for a summer of rebuild.

Top of the list of Tolu Arokodare of relegated English Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers, after failing to be a hit following his €23m signing from Belgium side Genk in the summer.

He had a dressing room fallout with his teammate Mateus Mane after their 0-4 defeat to West Ham and it has led to his lack of minutes in the last two games, and also part of why he is deemed surplus to requirements in the summer.

Spanish LaLiga side Getafe have been informed about the decision not to sign Uche Chrisantus permanently by Crystal Palace, leaving him free to either return to the club or go somewhere else after failing to make a mark.

In the English Championship Joe Aribo who is on loan to relegation threatened Leicester City from Southampton will be allowed to leave for free in the summer, when his contract runs out.

The future of Nigeria international striker Victor Osimhen at Turkish side Galatasaray is not guaranteed beyond this summer, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

It is said that his high salary is a stumbling block to many teams around Europe, but that hasn’t deterred the Sporting Director of Barcelona Deco, who is a huge admirer of Osimhen and wants him.

Although Atlético Madrid forward Julian Alvarez is their top target for the summer, they are looking at Osimhen as a possible ‘plan B’ signing.

He is very highly rated by Deco, but he will have to reduce his salary if he wants to join Barça. The club is ready to spend upto €100M to sign him according to Catalunyaradio. A respected voice when it comes to issues around Barcelona.

Reports from Sweden say 18 year old Nigerian winger Zadok Yohanna is a target for the German Bundesliga trio of Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund.

Yohanna has emerged as one of the most wanted teen in Europe at the moment after a whirlwind start to his career with Swedish side AIK.

He has three assists and four goals in just five top flight games, but beyond the number is the potential that he exhibits while on the ball and how he has developed so rapidly, less than a year after arriving from Nigerian Academy Ikon Allah FC.

What many didn’t know is that he was dropped from the U17 team of Nigeria and later the U20 team, the same year that scouts in Sweden came for him.

” Yohanna was dropped from the U17 team and one year later the U20 team. That same year after he was dropped by coach Aliyu Zubairu he was picked by scouts from AIK. It was a huge battle for his signature but they won because they had a better plan for him”, a member of Ikon Allah FC told OwnGoalNigeria.com in an exclusive chat.

Explaining the decision to drop the 18 year old from the Nigerian U17 team two years ago, one of the coaches said he was very young at that time and not physically ready like the other players picked ahead of him.

” Yes they ( Zadok Yohanna and Mubarak Suleiman of Salvia Prague) were a part of our U17 team three years ago, but they didn’t make the team due to two factors that is common with players at that level’, a backroom staff of the team revealed in an exclusive chat.

” First and foremost they were really young around that time. They were like babies but the talent was there for all to see just that physically they weren’t there. Then we had other players who were ahead of them in their positions”, he stated.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

18 year old Nigerian John Otomewo of Israeli side Hapoel Jerusalem has been rated by CIES Football Observatory as the best U20 midfielder in European Leagues outside the top five leagues in Europe.

The International Centre for Sports Studies, commonly known as the CIES is an independent research and education centre located in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. It has a research group named the CIES Football Observatory that studies and researches the statistics of football.

Otomewo who is in his first season as a professional footballer after he was scouted from Bauchi by Israeli agent David Ouziel, was picked by the organisation as the best U20 midfielder in Europe excluding the best five leagues in Europe.

” I was the one who scouted him while in Nigeria. He didn’t even play professional football in Nigeria, because no one believed in him, but I knew he has something. So in my scouting program last year April in Bauchi he was picked”, David revealed to OwnGoalNigeria.com in an exclusive chat.

Now a target of teams around Europe notably from France, Belgium and Italy, he is also on the radar of the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle.

” Yes we are aware of him, but it’s a bit too early. It’s better for him to build from the U20 or U23. That’s where he will grow for the demands of senior international football. Chelle is excited that we have so many young players coming through’, a coach in the Super Eagles setup revealed.

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle has his sights on luring 18 year old Angers forward Peter Prosper to the senior national team of Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Chelle is a huge fan of the 18 year old who has 5 goals in 26 Ligue 1 games this season, and he is presently a member of the U19 team of France but still remains eligible for Nigeria through his father.

We sought to hear from the player’s camp, and was told that preliminary contacts have taken place about the possibility of playing for Nigeria, with Chelle explaining to him via his scout that he sees him as an alternative to Victor Osimhen in the team’s attack.

All efforts to get sources close to Chelle to speak on the claims proved abortive, but one trusted source said Chelle is active in the area of recruiting young players for Nigeria but didn’t state clearly if the Angers forward is part of the plans.

A source at the NFF said there have not initiated any switch of nationality process as well, but emphasised that such issues are the sole responsibility of Chelle.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman