Contrary to a statement from the office of the minister for sports senator John Enoh washing their hands off the search for a new coach for the Super Eagles, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal that it’s his approval that is delaying the process.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has already agreed terms with a foreign coach but need to prove to the minister that they will be able to cater for his monthly salary, something the NFF can’t guarantee looking at the present dire state of their finances.

For that reason, the minister who has always maintained his stand on an indigenous coach has advised the NFF to hand the job to the present interim coach of the team Finidi George, rather than the foreign coach they have in mind.

Yesterday he met with some former players of the Super Eagles with Emmanuel Amuneke who is a leading candidate for the job also present. That meeting further strengthened the call for an indigenous coach.

We also gathered that while the minister isn’t pushing for Amuneke to be made the head coach , he has however made a case for the former Nigeria U17 coach to be a part of the technical crew in some capacity not necessarily as the head coach.

The board of the NFF will meet later today to deliberate on this development in view of bringing an end to the search for a replacement for Jose Peseiro, who left his role as coach at the expiration of his deal in February, a few weeks after leading the team to the AFCON final where they were beaten 2-1 by the host Cote d’Ivoire.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Contrary to a statement from the office of the minister for sports senator John Enoh washing their hands off the search for a new coach for the Super Eagles, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal that it’s his approval that is delaying the process.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has already agreed terms with a foreign coach but need to prove to the minister that they will be able to cater for his monthly salary, something the NFF can’t guarantee looking at the present dire state of their finances.

For that reason, the minister who has always maintained his stand on an indigenous coach has advised the NFF to hand the job to the present interim coach of the team Finidi George, rather than the foreign coach they have in mind.

Yesterday he met with some former players of the Super Eagles with Emmanuel Amuneke who is a leading candidate for the job also present. That meeting further strengthened the call for an indigenous coach.

We also gathered that while the minister isn’t pushing for Amuneke to be made the head coach , he has however made a case for the former Nigeria U17 coach to be a part of the technical crew in some capacity not necessarily as the head coach.

The board of the NFF will meet later today to deliberate on this development in view of bringing an end to the search for a replacement for Jose Peseiro, who left his role as coach at the expiration of his deal in February, a few weeks after leading the team to the AFCON final where they were beaten 2-1 by the host Cote d’Ivoire.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The search for a new coach for the senior national team of Nigeria is expected to come to an end in the coming days according to several reports following the conclusion of talks with the preferred coach by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

As usual , the coming of a new coach opens the door for fringe players or some player not in the team to fancy their chances of getting a look in. That is expected to be the case with the senior national team of Nigeria.

The new coach of the Super Eagles will be saddled with the immediate task of ensuring that the team gets their campaign to be at the 2026 world cup back on track, when it resumes in June. Nigeria are currently third in their group, two points behind leaders Rwanda.

Below is a list of five players , who will be hoping to find favour with the new coach once his appointment is made official by the NFF.

Uche Chrisantus – Signed by LaLiga side Getafe from third division side AD Cueta, the 20 year old who is an all action midfielder will formally join the club at the end of the season, and naturally he will be eyeing a spot in the senior national team of Nigeria if he finds his way into the first team setup of the club next season. The 20 year Owerri born will no doubt add more options in an area where more bodies is needed if he excels next season.

Maduka Okoye – Almost certain to be back in the mix in June with his form for Italian Serie A side Udinese. As the only goalkeeper playing in a top flight league on a regular basis for Nigeria, he will fancy his chances of dislodging Stanley Nwabali as the first choice under a new coach.

Elijah Adebayo – Injury robbed the Luton Town FC forward a first call up during the last international break. A typical number 9 who has nine goals before injury halted his good run in front of goal. He currently fits the bill as a like for like replacement for first choice Victor Osimhen when the Napoli striker is unavailable.

Nathan Tella – He has just once cap to his name but only 45 minutes game time under his belt. An unused substitute in the Super Eagles friendly games against Ghana and Mali respectively. Winning the Bundesliga title with the all conquering Bayer Leverkusen Munich he is sure prime to be rewarded with more minutes and invitation when the qualifiers resumes.

Ibrahim Olawoyin – Currently rated among the best midfielders in the Turkish League. The Rizespor man who is also comfortable on the flanks has shown remarkable consistency this season and will no doubt fancy a first time call up when a new coach is announced.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The search for a new coach for the senior national team of Nigeria is expected to be over in the next 48 hours,  OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

We reliably gathered that the top brass of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have settled for a new coach to replace Jose Peseiro who left his role after the expiration of his contract in February.

What is left for the announcement to be made official is an approval from the minister for sports Senator John Enoh. The NFF president Ibrahim Musa Gusau is expected to meet with him later today.

Sources revealed that the new coach will be given a two year deal with the mandate of leading the team to the next AFCON, and also secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup. There is also a clause of getting to at least the semi final of the next AFCON.

He is expected to earn a salary which is a lot lesser than the $80,000 Peseiro initially earned and also a little less than the $50,000 he earned when he signed the short term extension, which covered the period of the AFCON.

The coach will also be allowed to bring three of his assistants which includes an assistant coach, a physical trainer and a match analyst.  The NFF will provide the goalkeeper trainer and the second assistant.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

One of the early front runners for the vacant job of the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Domenec Torrent has been offered the chance to be one of the assistants of Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez next season, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Torrent who came highly recommended from Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola was top among the foreign coaches who applied to fill the vacancy created by the exit of Jose Peseiro, following the expiration of his contract in February.

The coach who was the longest serving assistant to Guardiola, who is largely seen as one of the best coaches in the world has now been told to leave the race for the job by Barcelona.

Barcelona are making last ditch efforts to convince the coach to remain at the club beyond this summer, and part of the plan includes adding Torrent to the coaching staff. Xavi has a very good relationship with the 61 year old built during the time they spent working together when he was a player at the club.

Xavi isn’t opposed to the idea, but want to first get assurances on other things before giving his consent to the addition of the veteran tactician to his staff. A decision is expected within the next two weeks according to Barcelona insider Gerard Romero.

Meanwhile the senior national team of Nigeria is expected to name a new coach for the team in the next 72 hours after an agreement was found yesterday.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

One of the strikers expected to line up against the Super Eagles of Nigeria for Benin Republic when both teams clash in the world cup qualifiers says he could easily have represented Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Aiyegun who plays for French Ligue 1 side Lorient was born in Nigeria but has ancestral connection to Benin Republic through his mother, the team he is now representing at senior international level, he already has three goals from his nine caps so far.

The 25 year old says he could have had a different international career if he had listened to erstwhile Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr, who coincidentally is now the coach of Benin Republic.

” In 2018 while I was at Latvian side Ventspils I met with the then coach of the Nigerian team Gernot Rohr after our Europa League game against Bordeaux. He assured me and two others (Adeleke Akinyemi, Abdullahi Alfa) in my team that he has our names in his list for a future call up”, Aiyegun told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” When I moved to a top league in FC Zurich he was no longer at the helm as coach of the senior national team of Nigeria. So all that conversation is now in the past and I am happy to be working with him in Benin Republic”, he stated.

This season hasn’t been the best for the forward with his team languishing in the drop zone, he also hasn’t matched the form that earned him a summer transfer to the Ligue 1 side from FC Zurich with just two goals to his name from 16 matches.

Ade Emmanuel

Transfer insider Dean Jones has warned promotion chasing English Championship side Leicester City against offering fresh terms to Nigeria international striker Kelechi Iheanacho, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

The 27 year old is out of contract in the summer  and has struggled to get a look in at the club since returning from international duty with Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations, where they finished second after losing 1-2 to the host Cote d’Ivoire in the final.

Iheanacho who has contributed six goals in three assists from ten starts this season has played a total of 44 minutes spread over three games since the turn of the year. He hasn’t made the matchday squad for the last three consecutive games.

Speaking on the future of the Nigerian at the King Power Stadium, Jones said it makes no sense for him to be offered a new deal owing to how he has struggled to get a look in at the crucial stage of the season. He feels handing him an extension on his £80,000 a week deal will amount to a waste of scarce funds for a team that is set for an instant return to the English Premier League.

Jones made his opinion known while analyzing transfers on TalkSport, he said Iheanacho’s likely next port of call will be Turkey where top division league side Trabzonspor are pushing for his signing on a free.

“It looks like he will leave Leicester, and at the moment, the most likely path for him to take is to Turkey. Trabzonspor are one of the teams for him, and these sorts of options might have to become very real, even though it seems to be early in his career. Iheanacho broke through at the same time as Marcus Rashford, and the pair were compared when he was at City, but slowly, his form and impact have just waned. From a Leicester point of view, keeping him doesn’t seem a wise move as he is one of the higher earners in that side, and he has only started ten games in a season when they are going for a Championship promotion.”

English Premier League side Crystal Palace have started plans to boost their squad ahead of next season after moving within a point of the 40 points tally for safety following their 2-0 win over Newcastle United yesterday, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Oliver Glasner who replaced veteran manager Roy Hodgson is keen on avoiding another relegation battle, and has started plans to add new players to the team in certain areas that he feels they need an upgrade or more options.

One of the areas where an upgrade and more option is needed is in attack where they presently have just Odsonne Édouard as backup to main striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. Glasner has identified Nigeria international striker Kelechi Iheanacho as one of the options to grow his pool in that role.

Iheanacho is available on a free transfer from Leicester City and talks have been held regarding a move, but Turkish side Trabzonspor are also keen on the 27 year old when his contract runs out in the summer, their interest is said to be tempting but Iheanacho prefers to stay in England.

Palace are also keen on Iheanacho’s international teammate Wilfred Ndidi according to TalkSport. Like Iheanacho he is also available for free with his contract set to run out in the summer and no talks over an extension despite his impact in their bid to return to the English Premier League.

Playing in an advanced midfield role he has shown his worth with four goals and five assists from 30 matches despite missing one month due to the injuries and fitness issues.

He is ending the season on a high for the league leaders with back to back goals in their last two games against West Brom and Southampton. Other teams like Brentford, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur have also been credited with an interest in signing the midfielder who joined the Foxes in 2017 in a £15m deal from Belgium side Genk.

Daniel Martins

The situation of Nigeria international striker Kelechi Iheanacho at promotion chasing English Championship side Leicester City has gone from bad to worse, OwnGoalNigeria.com understands.

Leicester City are pushing for an instant return to the English Premier League and they look well on course to achieve that aim after solidifying their top spot with a 5-0 thrashing of Southampton. A win that took them to 94 points, four points clear of second place Ipswich Town.

While the team seems to be on course one player who has fallen out of favour since the turn of the year is Iheanacho. He has only played a total of 44 minutes spread over three games since returning from the AFCON, where he represented Nigeria  and played a role in helping them finish second.

For the past three consecutive games he wasn’t named in the matchday squad, the seventh time it is happening for the 27 year old who has five goals and one assist this season from 22 games. He has made just ten starts this season.

His situation per what we were made to understand is connected to his decision to represent Nigeria at the AFCON against the wishes of club coach Enzo Maresca, who feels he wasn’t in the best shape physically to represent Nigeria following a knock.

He missed the Super Eagles first two games of the tournament due to the knock and wasn’t needed by the team until the knock out round of the tournament. The club medical team were disappointed that he decided to complete his rehabilitation in the camp of the senior national team of Nigeria.

Iheanacho’s future at the club isn’t guaranteed either as he is set to depart the team in the summer when his contract runs out. He has been linked with a host of teams in Turkey notably Trabzonspor, but there are also reports of interest from Crystal Palace.

The £80,000 a week forward favours staying in England than a move to Turkey putting Palace as the front runners to sign him on a free at the end of this season.

Daniel Martins

A major upset was on the card in the Dutch Eredivisie before a late equalizer from Chuba Akpom helped league giants Ajax to a 2-2 draw against relegation threatened Excelsior, OwngoalNigeria.com reports.

Akpom scored in the 89th minute, he was subbed in for Brian Brobbey who picked up a knock in the 44th minute,  any hope of Ajax picking up all three points evaporated when Steven Bergwijn was shown a red card in time added on.

The goal was Akpom’s 10th league goal of the season from 22 games, a remarkable return when one consider how he struggled to get going following his arrival in the summer from English Championship side Middlesbrough.

The 26 year old who is awaiting his first invitation to the senior national team of Nigeria after switching nationality from England had issues settling down in his new environment,  and when he finally did a knock kept him out of action for a month.

Linked with a January exit from the club, reports has it that he might yet leave the club in the summer if a suitable offer is tabled for his services.  The 28 year old is also said to be open to the idea despite just spending a year into a five year deal signed in the summer.

Damian Waziri