The agent of Nigeria international forward Ademola Lookman says former coach of the senior national team of England Gareth Southgate warned Lookman about committing his international future to Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Southgate upon taking over as coach of England in 2018 after making the step up as England U21 coach, while Lookman was on loan to German side RB Leipzig from Everton.

Lookman was assured that he has a bright future with England, and Southgate in a press conference openly spoke about how aggressive Nigeria were in trying to lure the then 20 year old Lookman.

“I know every country is quite aggressive in their recruiting and I know they have always had an interest in him, but he is playing and has been in our squads, the 20s, 21s.

“So in terms of encouragement through game time, we are doing as much as we possibly can,” Southgate told the UK Mirror.

However Lookman decided to pursue his international career with Nigeria, and has since been to two AFCONs and also won the Africa Player of the year award.

” It was an issue back then because Southgate said it in the open and it naturally puts Lookman in the spotlight. I recall that interview very well but you would agree with me that playing for the Super Eagles has been the best decision taken by Lookman. The evidence is there and he said it a lot of times”, his representative told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Nigeria U17 winger Bidemi Amole who is generally referred to as the new Ademola Lookman has joined Swedish side IF Brommapojkarna , OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Dubbed as the new Lookman due to his similar playing style and role like that of senior international Ademola Lookman who also played for the Italian side, the left winger who turned 18 in November was a part of the Nigeria U20 team under coach Aliyu Zubairu playing in seven games with a goal to his name.

Respected Italian publication TMW reported that Atalanta were in advanced talks to sign him, but the move didn’t see the light of the day and earlier today he was unveiled by IF Brommapojkarna on a deal for undisclosed years.

He will be hoping to make an instant impression like former Ikon Allah prospect Zadok Yohanna who has been a revelation in the league for AIK.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The AFCON trio of Ebenezer Akinsamiro, Tochukwu Nnadi and Salim Fago will all be in the Super Eagles team for the upcoming Unity Cup in May, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Nigeria will be defending their title at the friendly tournament in London with head coach Eric Chelle open to using the tournament to try out new players, and also give game time to fringe players.

The aforementioned trio were part of the team that finished third at the AFCON that ended in January with Fago and Nnadi getting some minutes, while Akinsamiro who is on loan to Pisa from league leaders Inter Milan wasn’t involved.

Fago moved to Czech Republic side Viktoria Plzen after the AFCON while Nnadi moved to Ligue 1 side Marseille as well. Both players are now expected to be in the squad for the May tournament alongside Akinsamiro with Chelle keen to see them in a non competitive game.

Their inclusion in the team for the game in June against Poland and Portugal respectively will be heavily dependant on how they perform at the tournament.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye picked up his third consecutive clean sheets in the Italian Serie A over the weekend following a 3-0 win over AC Milan, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

He made his return to the Nigerian team during the last international break, after snubbing an invitation to be a part of the team for the AFCON that ended in January.

Okoye was in goal for the first game against Iran at the four team invitational tournament, which ended in a 2-1 win for the Nigerian team. He left before the second game after picking a knock in training.

The former first choice goalkeeper says he is now prime for an extended time with the national team, where he will rival Stanley Nwabali, Francis Uzoho and new boy Arthur Okonkwo for the number 1 spot.

“I was so pleased to be called up to the national team. It’s important to me as a player and as a person. I want to return many more times ,” Okoye said on Udinese Tonight, via the club’s official website.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The president of Italian Serie A side Napoli has explained his regret after rejecting a combine bid of €200m from PSG for the duo of Victor Osimhen and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia while they were at the club.

Both players were key to Napoli ending their 33 year wait for their first Serie A title, and as expected were targets of other European giants after the feat.

De Laurentiis revealed that a bid of €200m was offered to him by French Ligue 1 side PSG for both players, but he declined despite head coach Antonio Conte telling him to let go of Osimhen and keep Kvaratskhelia.

“When we started with Conte, we received a €200 million offer from PSG and others to sell Victor Osimhen and Kvara together. Conte said: ‘You can sell Osimhen, but please don’t sell Kvara.’ But it turned out to be a big mistake, because I then had problems with Kvara’s father and his agent.

“Any player under 28, after three years of contract, can leave for almost nothing. Since the player and his agent were absolutely determined to leave Napoli, I decided it was better to sell him. The coach wasn’t happy, because you’re basically telling him it has to be done for legal reasons. I’m trying to change these rules. Because if you make investments, you can’t be blackmailed by anyone”, he revealed in an interview with TheAthletic.

Kvaratskhelia ended up joining PSG one year later for way less than the €100m, the same as Osimhen who left way less than the money PSG offered for Galatasaray.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle has confirmed our exclusive report that top players of the team won’t be available for the upcoming Unity Cup tournament in London, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Nigeria will defend her title at the four team tournament with their opening game against Zimbabwe, where a win or defeat will see them face either of India or last edition beaten finalists Jamaica.

Like we exclusively reported two days ago, Chelle will use the game to give fringe players a chance, and also some players doing well in lowly rated European Leagues will also be considered.

Yesterday he confirmed that he will use most of his regulars for the high profile friendly games against Poland and Portugal respectively, while fringe players even from the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) will also be in the mix.

He explained how he intends to pick players from NPFL teams with the league with just four matches remaining.

“The Unity Cup provides a platform to assess new players. I will comb Europe and invite new players of Nigerian descent, alongside those who were previously called up but never got the chance to feature”, he said in an official statement from the media team of the Super Eagles.

“Top players from the Nigeria Premier Football League will also be considered, as I will be watching a number of domestic league games from now until the end of the season.

“For the big warm-up games in June against Poland and Portugal, I will feature my first team players. These are games that can push us up the global ranking if we win them.”

The poor performance of Yira Sor in his debut game for the senior national team of Nigeria has been pegged to a lack of understanding of the manager’s tactics, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Sor had a debut to forget in the colours of the Super Eagles, playing from the start in their second game against Jordan at the recently concluded four team invitational tournament in Turkey.

He was subbed off in the second half without doing anything notably for the period that he was on. However the Genk winger has received backing from his teammate.

” He didn’t understand what the coach wanted from him and it’s understandable because he is in the team for the first time. Maybe playing on the right didn’t help him as well because he is an explosive winger and not a dribbler”, he said.

” I can tell you that he is a very good player and if given another chance, I strongly believe that he will take it and do much better than the game against Jordan”, he concluded.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

AIK of Sweden were yesterday held to a 2-2 draw by IF Brommapojkarna in a top division game in Sweden with as many as two Nigerians in Zadok Yohanna and Obilor Okeke playing against each other.

Okeke was tasked with keeping Yohanna who has hit the ground running in Sweden for AIK in check, despite operating majorly as a winger.

Zadok bagged an assist before he was subbed off, and added to his tally of four goals and three assists in seven games, since the resumption of the league in Sweden.

The commentators during the game said that there are 32 scouts at the stadium. They will most likely be scouting 18-year old Yohanna, who is already on the radar of the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria and also top teams in Europe.

Ajax, Chelsea, Lyon, PSV and Borussia Dortmund are the top teams who have set their sights on the left footed ace , and have posted scouts to watch him in the last two games.

The real reason behind the decision of USG and former Nigeria U23 striker Promise David to switch his nationality from Nigeria to Canada has been revealed to OwnGoalNigeria.com.

David was born in Canada to Nigerian parents making him eligible for both countries, but Nigeria were the first to hand him a chance at international football with an invitation to the U23 team in 2022.

He played in the U23 AFCON qualifiers first leg away to Tanzania which ended in a 1-1 draw on the 22nd of October. Back then he was playing for top division Estonian side Nõmme Kalju FC.

In 2024 he secured a high profile move to Belgium top division side USG as a replacement for another Nigerian in Victor Boniface, who departed the club for German side Bayer Leverkusen a season earlier.

A year after the move he applied for a nationality switch from Nigeria to Canada, and he was granted his wish by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) paving the way for his clearance by FIFA.

He received his first senior call-up to the Canada national team for the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League Finals. He made his international debut on June 7, 2025, also scoring his first goal for Canada in a 4–2 friendly victory against Ukraine during the 2025 Canadian Shield, and presently has three goals from 8 games.

” David didn’t switch because Canada are the host of the next world cup, rather due to the presence of established stars in his position like Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Terem Moffi, Paul Onuachu among others”, a source close to the 24 year old revealed.

” He (David) is a very smart kid and he weighed what his best for his international career and even though he carries Nigeria at heart, Canada serves his career interest better”, he stated.

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle has assured Justin Njinmah of German Bundesliga side Werder Bremen that he will get an invitation to the team, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

The 25 year old who was born in Germany to Nigerian parents has long voiced his desire to play for the senior national team of Nigeria, rather than wait for a chance with Germany.

However he hasn’t been given a look in by Chelle, who has already capped his teammate and fellow German born in Felix Agu.

This season he has played in 28 Bundesliga games with five goals to his name, but still hasn’t found favour with Chelle who is still heavily reliant on the wingers available to him.

Njinmah could be next in line for a Super Eagles debut by Chelle, and it will likely happen in the Unity Cup next month.

” Chelle is aware of him and he has been assured that he will be given a chance. He just need to stay consistent and his time will come maybe more likely in the Unity Cup. It’s one step at a time for new players”, a source revealed.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman