It’s a known and proven fact that Nigerian players play in almost every continent, region or country of the world, where football is played at a professional level, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

One of such players is 23 years old winger Tenton Yenne, who has taken the league in Armenia by storm with starring performances laced with goals and assists for top division side Ararat-Armenia.

Since joining the team last summer, no other player in the league has as many goals as the GBS of Jos Academy graduate. He has so far found the back of the net 14 times with 11 assists in just 43 games at the club.

Last season was his first full season in the league and he ended it with ten goals and 11 assists in 37 games. This season he has picked up from where he left off with four goals in his first six games of the season.

His form hasn’t gone unnoticed with top teams from Greece, Turkey and Switzerland all making advances towards signing him especially as he has less than two years left in his deal with the Armenian side.

Osas Mahawi

The search for a midfielder who can occupy the space just in front of the defence for German giants Bayern Munich has led to the listing of potential options in that department, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Coach of the team Thomas Tuchel is keen on bolstering that part of his squad as they aim for a successful defence of their league crown and also a good campaign in the UEFA Champions League.

The season didn’t start too well for the Bavarians losing the German Super Cup 3-0 to RB Leipzig, a loss that has now led to an urgency in trying to improve the squad with two weeks left in the summer transfer window.

According to the online edition of German publication Kicker, the trio of Ibrahim Sangaré, Wilfred Ndidi and Aurélien Tchouaméni are mentioned as potential candidates in Bayern’s search for a #6. A ‘surprise’ in the position during the last two weeks of the window is a possibility.

Georg Holzner who was credited with the report said contact has been made already for Sangare of Dutch side PSV but there is still no breakthrough on a deal, Ndidi who has a year to run on his deal at Leicester City is seen as the next option if the deal for Sangare fails to materialise.

Ndidi is ahead of Tchouameni in their list with the idea that Real Madrid won’t make it easy to sign the French international, who only joined them last summer.

Daniel Martins

Not so many players get complimented by their peers especially if they play the same role and one can say, a compliment from a proven goal scorer like Erling Haaland is arguably among the best a young player can get, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Haaland has carved a reputation as one of the deadliest forward in world football at the moment with 52 goals in 53 games, since his move to the reigning English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, English FA Cup and Super Cup kings.

Despite his status, a certain 16 year old Anglo-Nigerian Justin Oboavwoduo who plays for the U18s of Manchester City left the giant striker stunned with his wonder goal  Forest back in January.

In a video compilation of their top goalscorers from last season reacting to each other’s goals. Haaland reacted to the manner Oboavwoduo finished off a bouncing ball into the top corner.

Haaland said: “What a play. What a goal. Volley it in. Beautiful goal. That is a top goal. I think this one (is my favourite), I have to say. It was a perfect goal”, a seal of approval which will no doubt motivate Justin, whose international future might spark a tug of war between Nigeria and England if he continues to develop as expected.

Ade Emmanuel

The constant failure of the senior national team of Nigeria has drawn a reaction from former coach of English Premier League side Arsenal Arsene Wenger, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Wenger has long been a fan of the Super Eagles and in 2017 shortly after Alex Iwobi’s goal secured Nigeria a spot at the 2018 World Cup, he picked the Nigerian team as one that will make Africa proud at the tournament.

“Good morning congratulations to all our fans in Nigeria – I know that you are very, very many  and we are very proud that you have qualified for the World Cup. On top of that of course, our player scored the goal for you and that makes us even prouder”, he said in 2018.

“Well done and see you at the World Cup and I’m sure you will have a great, great trip there “, he said in the 24 seconds video post on Arsenal’s social media handle.

The Nigerian team failed to get past the group stages at the world cup and failed to make it to the next one, which was held in Qatar. That failure and several others made the FIFA chief to tag three times Africa Cup of Nations winners as greatest underachievers in a chat with ace Nigerian journalist Osasu Obayiuwuna.

“I had a very brief chat with the former @Arsenal manager, now FIFA’s chief of global football development, Arsene Wenger on Thursday, at the @Hyatt in Sydney. When I told him I was Nigerian, this is what he said about #Nigerian football: “#Nigeria has incredible talent but they are one of the great underachievers in world football.”  he posted on his social media handle on X.

I had a very brief chat with the former @Arsenal manager, now FIFA’s chief of global football development, Arsene Wenger on Thursday, at the @Hyatt in Sydney. When I told him I was Nigerian, this is what he said about #Nigerian football: “#Nigeria has incredible talent but they… pic.twitter.com/NiYLnxQW5k

— Osasu Obayiuwana (@osasuo) August 17, 2023

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Italian Serie A side Salernitana has concluded all the formalities for the transfer of former Nigeria U20 forward Chukwubuikem Ikwuemessi, OwnGoalNigeria.com understands.

We gathered that an agreement has already been reached with his Slovenian side NK Celje, where he ended last season with nine goals and five assists. He is expected later today for a routine medical.

Ikwuemessi was few details away from joining French Ligue 1 side Le Havre but the move broke down owing to a disagreement on personal terms and also length of the contract.

The 22 year old was a part of the coach Ladan Bosso U20 team of 2020 that failed to make it past the group stages of the WAFU B championship, hence failing to qualify for the U20 Africa Cup of Nations.

His European sojourn started with a loan spell from Giant Brila to Austrian side Vorwarts Steyr. He returned to Nigeria after the loan spell before joining NK Krsko from where he moved to NK Celje.

Daniel Martins

Spanish top division side Cadiz are keen on improving on their last season finish of 14th, hence the need to strengthen the team before the close of the ongoing summer transfer window, OwnGoalNigeria.comreports.

They started their campaign in this season LaLiga with a 1-0 win over Alaves with Fede scoring the lone goal of the game in the 7th minute, a game they ended with ten men following the sending off of Gonzalo Escalante with two minutes left to play.

Ahead of their next league game against Barcelona, one of the areas they badly need more options is in the midfield and they have identified 27 year old Nigeria international Oghenekaro Etebo as a prime option.

Etebo spent last season at Greek side Aris Thessaloniki on loan from English Championship side Stoke City. He is back at Stoke City but yet again he has been told he is surplus to requirements.

Stoke are keen on moving on the Nigerian permanently but Cadiz like a host of other teams are only looking at loan deal with the option of a permanent signing at the end of the season.

Cadiz are however said to be the front runners for his signing and talks are progressing nicely. Etebo is keen on getting his career back on track as he bid fight his way back into the senior national team of Nigeria, where he has 45 caps but last played for the team in November 2022, when they suffered a heavy 4-0 loss to world cup bound Portugal in a friendly game.

Daniel Martins

The president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Ibrahim Musa Gusau has confirmed that the senior national team of Nigeria presently don’t have a coach with the qualifiers for the World Cup set to start in November, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Gusau while speaking on the coach of the team in an interview with ace broadcaster Mitchell Obi said Jose Peseiro’s contract has ran out, and there isn’t any resolution on a new deal for the Portuguese coach.

He said although talks are ongoing with his representatives, they hope to reach an agreement before the Super Eagles play Sao Tome and Principe in their last game in the AFCON qualifiers. Even that too is dependent on the decision of the newly inaugurated technical committee of the football body.

Below is extract from the radio interview as published on social media platform X by ace journalist Osasu Obayiuwuna.

Hot in demand Nigerian striker Gift Orban is yet to make up his mind on joining English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur despite reports saying they are the obvious for his signing, OwnGoalNigeria.comreports.

Gent wants €30m for the forward who scored 22 goals at the club following his January move, which went through on the final day of the window. His form has led to interest in his services.

Spurs are seen as the one team who can comfortably afford the 21 year old and are in talks over a deal as part of their search for a replacement for their captain Harry Kane, who moved to German giants Bayern Munich.

The player’s camp are not opposed to the move but sources say their is a concern on if he will get regular run of games to further develop and possibly break into the first team of the senior national team of Nigeria.

To that extent, Sevilla are now seen as the team he is more likely to join because there is a huge chance of getting a lot of games at the club than at Spurs. Furthermore the pressing on him will be less than what he will face at Spurs in the light of the fact that he will be replacing a club icon.

Meanwhile, the widely reported agreement to join Monaco has been termed as false by his camp, a source said despite the fact that he is on their wishlist they haven’t firmed up their interest with a bid yet.

Daniel Martins

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has given the clearest indication that the coach of the women’s team of Nigeria Randy Waldrum won’t be given fresh terms following the expiration of his deal, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Waldrum led the Super Falcons to the round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup before bowing out to England on penalties. His team were largely praised for their performance at the tournament.

Prior to the World Cup, the team was troubled with the issue of unpaid bonuses and also salaries of the technical crew which cut across two years for the players and above one year for the coach.

That row was however not a distraction as they went ahead to post what can arguably be termed as Nigeria’s best display in the history of the tournament before their exit. But it appears it won’t be enough to hand the coach fresh terms.

Speaking on the future of the coach, the president of the NFF Gusau hinted that he will likely not be in charge by refusing to name him as the coach that will lead them in the Olympic qualifiers next month.

“When the contract of the coach expires, we have to allow the Technical Committee to do their job and make a proper recommendation.

“Next month, the Super Falcons will play in the Olympic Qualifiers and before that time we must have decided on who will be the coach”, he said.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The spending spree of English Premier League side Chelsea has been the major talking point of the ongoing transfer window considering the amount of money they have spent, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Chelsea’s signing reached the peak when they agreed a deal of £115m to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton, a sum that makes him the most expensive player in the English Premier League.

That signing which came after a battle with Liverpool took their spending to the £1b mark, but that sum will now increase substantially after breakthrough in their quest to sign Michael Olise from Crystal Palace.

In 2020 Olise, while at English Championship side Reading was handed a call up to the senior national team of Nigeria by former coach Gernot Rohr for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers games against Benin Republic and Lesotho respectively.

He was on the standby list with Rohr explaining that he is yet to be issued a Nigerian passport as he was born in France.  That summer he went to Crystal Palace and decided to pledge his international future to France, where he is a youth international.

Last season can easily pass as his best with 11 assists and two goals. A form that placed him on the summer wishlist of top teams in Europe with two teams in Manchester City and Chelsea the front runners for his signing.

Chelsea have now won the race after agreeing a fee for his transfer with Palace, he will now hold talks on his wages which isn’t expected to be an issue before a medical that will be the final step before his signing on an eight year deal will be made official.

Daniel Martins