The newly appointed coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Finidi George is expected to officially resume in his new role later this week, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Finidi was named as the new coach of the team last week by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) but has to stay behind at his current work place Enyimba, while they trash out the terms of his exit.

An agreement has been reached with Enyimba and he will be allowed to meet with the hierarchy of the NFF in Abuja to work out the terms of his deal, which we are made to believe will be a one year deal with the option of another year based on the success of the team at the next AFCON.

The meeting will also be the chance for him to pick his assistants, after which he will be expected to get down to work by submitting the list of invited players for the World Cup qualifiers game in June against South Africa.

One name that is high on the list of players who will likely get an invitation is Rizespor of Turkey midfielder Ibrahim Olawoyin, who has been a revelation this season with 11 goals contributions this season coming via eight goals and three assists.

Olawoyin is said to be high on the list of players the coach is eyeing to bolster his options in midfield with his ability to also play from the wings, another reason why he is likely to get a look in for the games.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The newly appointed coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Finidi George is expected to officially resume in his new role later this week, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Finidi was named as the new coach of the team last week by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) but has to stay behind at his current work place Enyimba, while they trash out the terms of his exit.

An agreement has been reached with Enyimba and he will be allowed to meet with the hierarchy of the NFF in Abuja to work out the terms of his deal, which we are made to believe will be a one year deal with the option of another year based on the success of the team at the next AFCON.

The meeting will also be the chance for him to pick his assistants, after which he will be expected to get down to work by submitting the list of invited players for the World Cup qualifiers game in June against South Africa.

One name that is high on the list of players who will likely get an invitation is Rizespor of Turkey midfielder Ibrahim Olawoyin, who has been a revelation this season with 11 goals contributions this season coming via eight goals and three assists.

Olawoyin is said to be high on the list of players the coach is eyeing to bolster his options in midfield with his ability to also play from the wings, another reason why he is likely to get a look in for the games.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

As teams geared up for the summer transfer window Italian Serie A champions Inter Milan are expected to be among the teams who will be very busy in the market as they seek to bring in more young player particularly in attack.

The duo of Alexis Sanchez and Marko Arnautovic are expected to not be at the club next season, and their replacements according the sources has to be a young player who will have an extended stay at the club.

Already the club have secured the free signing of Mehdi Taremi from Portuguese giants FC Porto, he is expected to take the place of Sanchez who will be allowed to leave when his contract expires. For Arnautovic a decision is yet to be arrived at but the club have their eyes on possible options as his replacement.

On the list is 18-year-old Nigerian forward George Ilenikhena, who has been a revelation for Belgium side Antwerp since his move to the team from second division French side Amiens.

The forward was Born in Lagos but grew up in France, he is yet to be capped by both countries at any level but that might change quickly with his current rate of 14 goals this season. That form is also why he is on the radar of a lot of teams in Europe.

According to the Gazzetta, his form has caused the coach of Inter Milan Simone Inzaghi to pay attention to him with the idea of signing him in the summer, with a plan to help him blossom to his potential. He will reportedly cost Inter Milan €20 million.

Daniel Martins

As Liverpool get set for a new era with the expected arrival of Arne Slot as coach with Jurgen Klopp set fo leave in the summer, the expectation is that the club will be very busy in the summer transfer window.

Aside from the arrival of Slot, it will also mark the beginning of the tenure of Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes at the helm in their new roles as chief executive officer (CEO) and Sporting Director respectively.

One area they will focus on from the way this season is going is the attack of the team , with their floundering form in front of goal largely the reason why their title charge faded out like it did. The duo of Darwin Nunez and Luiz Diaz have been guilty of wasting too many chances.

Mohammed Salah who is the club’s talisman hasn’t been at his best this season with Diego Jota another who is very good in front of goal also missing a huge number of goals, Cody Gakpo hasn’t settled in as quick as expected.

It means bolstering the department is a concern heading into the window, and they reportedly have Nigeria international striker Victor Osimhen on their radar, with the 25 year old expected to leave Napoli this summer.

According to Corriere dello Sport Osimhen’s dream is to join a club in the Premier League, and Liverpool are among the club’s considering a move for the Nigerian’s services.

He is a player that Edwards tried to sign in the past before his move to Napoli four years ago, but a funny scenario played out according to Giandomenico Costi, who worked with the Napoli’s director Cristiano Giuntoli.

He said Giuntoli ‘locked’ Osimhen inside a hotel to persuade him to join Napoli instead of a move to Anfield. ” “The signing of Osimhen is Giuntoli’s biggest masterpiece”, he told Italian outlet Tuttosport.

“He [Osimhen] was locked in a hotel for three days. Giuntoli knew Liverpool were interested, and Jurgen Klopp had made his move, but Cristiano spoke to Osimhen in the hotel for three days until he convinced him to accept Napoli”.

Daniel Martins.

Head coach of the U20 team of Nigeria Ladan Bosso has revealed the process that led to the discovery of Brentford’s defender Benjamin Fredrick, OwngoalNigeria.com reports.

Fredrick has signed a permanent deal with the English side after impressing during a loan stint at the club. His commanding performance for the youth team earned him a spot on the bench of the first team four times, and there is every likelihood that he will play for them before the end of the season.

He came to limelight while representing Nigeria at U20 level as he was ever present for the team at the AFCON and the World Cup in Argentina. He did enough to command the interest of a host of teams but Brentford beat all comers to his signing.

Bosso who picked him for both tournaments explained how he refused to be deterred and kept his faith with the then 16 year old, despite being told that he was dropped by the U17 coaches few months ago.

” He was playing for a football academy in Kaduna called Simoiben Football Academy owned by the wife of Nigeria international Moses Simon.  They played a pre season tournament in Abuja which I watched and he was voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament”,Bosso said.

” I wasted no time in telling him that he will be a part of my U20 team.  Someone told me he was dropped from the U17 team that I should be wary of him but I said I know what I saw and I need it in my team”, he explained further.

” In the build up to the WAFU tournament he was my third choice defender, but we couldn’t get his international passport sorted in time to be in the squad.  His passport came very late but I insisted on taking him to the tournament.

” Before the AFCON was when I saw his maturity.  I remember dropping two foreign based defenders and three others from NPFL teams for his sake. Not many understood back then but now I guess they do,” he stated.

Speaking on the qualities that convinced him to put his faith in the then 17 year old, Bosso wasted no time in listing them. ” Strong on the ball, quick in recovery and can pick a long pass with ease. He is very comfortable on the ball and very assured in tackles.  His aerial ability is one part of his game that I admired the post and he has a winning mentality, hates to lose even in training”, he concluded.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Former coach of Arsenal Arsene Wenger watched almost the entire games of the Africa Cup of Nations which took place in the Ivory Coast, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Nigeria went all the way to the final before losing 1-2 to the host in the final of the tournament.  Wenger was particularly impressed by the rise of Nigeria international defender Semi Ajayi.

Wenger signed Ajayi from Charlton in 2013 during his time as the coach of Arsenal.  Although Ajayi didn’t get to make a first team appearance, he was involved in pre season games and trained with them during the duration of his three years stay at the club.

Now an established senior international football and a seasoned campaigner in English football with West Brom, Wenger made reference to his rise in international and club football as a testament to why clubs should be patient and invest in young players.

” You see the money involved and you wonder if the young players will get the chance to grow and fulfill their talent. Patience is required most times when you invest on young players not all of them will make it to the top level but you have to try”, Wenger said while speaking in his new role as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development.

” I was at the AFCON where I saw a player for Nigeria Ajayi who started with us at Arsenal.  He has grown into a really good footballer not many saw that years ago while he was with us developing”, he remarked.

The newly appointed head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Finidi George will be on collision course with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for the first time since his appointment, OwngoalNigeria.com reports.

Finidi was told that he is free to pick his assistants but the NFF proposed some names for him to consider top of which is Emmanuel Amuneke,  Daniel Amokachi,  Michael Nsien and Usman Abdallah.

We gathered that Finidi wants none of the three top names proposed by the NFF but will strongly consider working with Nsien, who is the present coach of the U21 team of the United States of America (USA).

The picking of his assistant will be top of the agenda when he meets with the hierarchy of the NFF next week to formally resume as the coach ahead of the start of the qualifiers for the 2026 world cup.

We gathered the terms and conditions of his contract will also be trashed out with sources hinting that it will be a one year deal with the option of another year, based on the team performance in the world cup qualifiers and the next AFCON.

A semi final spot at the next AFCON will automatically trigger a two years extension,  which will cover the period of the world cup and the next Africa Cup of Nations.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The head coach of Barcelona Xavi Hernandez has given his approval to a proposal to have Nigeria international midfielder Wilfred Ndidi join the team on a free transfer this summer, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Ndidi will be out of contract this summer at newly promoted English Premier League side Leicester City, where he has operated more as a left sided midfielder as opposed to his role as a defensive midfielder in previous seasons at the club.

According to Spanish news outlet Sport, Ndidi was offered to Barcelona as a potential replacement for Oriol Romeu who is expected to leave the club this summer, a season after he joined them.

Xavi reportedly gave his approval believing that the Nigerian has the right profile for his team and won’t have problems settling into their style of play next season. Talks are expected to start at the end of the season.

Leicester City appears to have resigned to fate over his potential exit as there has been no talks over extending his deal, which will expire despite the key role in played in helping them gain promotion back to the English Premier League, a season after they were relegated to the second division.

Daniel Martins

The date that Finidi George will take over as the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria is still unknown with his present team Enyimba not keen on letting him leave the club as soon as possible, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Finidi was announced as the new coach of the senior national team of Nigeria by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) , a role he held as interim coach before now. He was previously an assistant to Jose Peseiro, who left his job in February upon the expiration of his contract.

We exclusively gathered that Enyimba who are chasing a second consecutive league title are not against the appointment and will no doubt allow him to fulfill his dream of becoming the coach of the Super Eagles, however they want the NFF to do the right thing for him to be released.

” No one from the NFF contacted us about their plans for Finidi, so we didn’t make any plans for a coach to take his place or stand in for him. We saw it on the internet like most of you. It’s now that we are holding talks on when he will be released”, a team source told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” We (Enyimba) are not against Finidi taking over as coach of the Super Eagles but the proper thing has to be done for us not to be at the receiving end. With us Finidi still has a year to go on his contract, so talks has to be held on that. Don’t forget that we are also in contention for the league title”, he stated.

Reacting to the above , a source from the NFF said they didn’t approach Enyimba earlier because they wanted to keep the appointment under wraps due to the pressure and interest from certain quarters on the job. He however said talks are progressing nicely and a compromise will be reached soon.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala has explained the reason why he snubbed a chance to play for the senior national team of Nigeria in preference for the German team, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Musiala is of Nigerian descent which makes him eligible for the senior national team of Nigeria, the same status he has with England and Germany, before switching to Germany at senior level he represented England at various youth levels.

Rated as one of the best midfielders in the world at the moment, he was key in helping Bayern Munich to draw 2-2 against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League semi final first leg on Tuesday at the Allianz Arena. He won the penalty for the second goal scorer by Bayern.

Speaking in a short video shot with a chef, the 21 year old confirmed his Nigerian roots and his love for Nigerian foods, but declined to comment on why he didn’t get to play for the Super Eagles despite an approach by the former coach of the team Gernot Rohr, when he was yet to be capped by any country at senior level.

” I don’t know, see out of respect I can’t answer that”, he said when he was asked about the country he preferred between Nigeria and Germany, but he was clear on Nigerian foods: ” I love Fufu and well made Nigerian foods. It keeps me filled for a long time”, he said.

Osas Mahawi