The Nigerian contingent at English Premier League side Nottingham Forest has swelled to three as we get to the business end of the summer transfer window, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Forest is home to the senior Nigeria international duo of Taiwo Awoniyi and Emmanuel Dennis, both players joined the team last summer but endured different fortunes with Awoniyi the one who saw more game time and also made use of it with ten goals

Dennis who was signed on the back of the 11 goals he scored for Watford failed to match the same form scoring just two goals. He is rumoured to be on his way out of the team with Leeds United pushing for his signing. Even Serie A side Atalanta are weighing up a move for him.

For the main time Ola Aina is set to join them at the club on a free transfer from Italian Serie A side Torino, where he has spent the last four seasons starting with a loan spell before a permanent move three years ago.

Aina has already agreed a three year deal and will fly to Spain to have his medical with Forest, who are there for pre season training but without the Nigerian duo of Dennis and Awoniyi due to visa issues.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The top scorer in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Emeka Obioma has agreed to a move to Tunisian side Esperance, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Obioma ended the regular season with 14 goals and added two more in the play off to take his season tally to 16 goals last season, which powered his team to the NPFL title.

In July he spoke about his desire to help Enyimba retail the league title and also lift the CAF Champions League but he won’t be available to aid them on both front.

He is due to arrive in Tunisia today to pen a three year deal with Esperance. A move that will be made official after a medical also expected to take place today.

Esperance saw of competition from Egyptian side Zamalek to clinch the signing of the 24 year old. They will be hoping he follows in the footsteps of Michael Eneramo who was a huge hit for the Tunisian side in the mid 2000’s.

Ade Emmanuel

Following the takeover of French Ligue 1 side Strasbourg by the consortium of Americans who own Chelsea, the team has been very active in the summer transfer window, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Reports has it that they have reached agreement with Sturm Graz for the signing of 20 year old Nigerian forward Emanuel Emegha , who was a revelation last season for the Austrian side with ten goals and five assists.

An agreement is reported to have been reached by all parties involved in the deal with an announcement said to be imminent, when he passes a routine medical expected to take place next week. A fee of around €3m is what Strasbourg will pay as his transfer fee.

Born in the Netherlands to a Nigerian father and a Togolese mother but now a youth international for the Dutch, he openly made himself available for a chance to represent Nigeria, while at Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam including an interview with Germany based Nigerian journalist Oma Akatugba.

He picked Nigeria international forward Victor Osimhen as his role model ahead of more established stars like Dutch forward Robin Van Persie , saying his dream is to follow in the footsteps not just at club level but also at international level.

” None of them is my role model. I see Osimhen aa the player I want to play like. He is my role model and I hope to emulate his career to be the best I can be”, he said in 2020, a year before his first call up to the youth team of the Netherlands.

Daniel Martins

Slovakian side AS Trencin have pulled a major transfer coup by announcing the signing of Nigeria U20 winger Jude Sunday, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Sunday was an integral part of the Nigeria U20 team that made a huge statement at the U20 World Cup in Argentina, where despite crashing out of the tournament in the quarter final, they made a huge impression by beating eventual finalists Italy and knocked out the host Argentina.

The diminutive winger played in all of Nigeria’s game at the tournament scoring in the 2-0 win against Italy in the group stage. At the U20 Africa Cup of Nations, he scored a brace against Tunisia in the third place match.

His signing is said to be on a three year deal with the club aiming to groom him to stardom like they did with the duo of Moses Simon and Samuel Kalu who are now senior international for Nigeria.

Daniel Martins

As first reported by OwnGoalNigeria.com on the 14th of June, Nigeria international forward Samuel Chukwueze has agreed a summer move to Italian Serie A side AC Milan from Villarreal.

Yesterday, the Italian side moved a step closer to officially closing the deal when they succeeded in reaching an agreement on wages with the Nigerian. A huge step as they step up talks with Villarreal.

Already Milan have had two bids for the winger rejected with the Spanish side insisting on a fee of €35m despite the fact that the 24 year old has just a year to run on his deal at the club. Milan are willing to pay €25m.

A new bid which will be close to the €30m mark will be submitted soon and it is expected that it will be enough to seal the signing of the Nigerian, who is the prime target of coach Stefano Pioli for the right wing.

Breakthrough in the area of wages per what we gathered will see him earn a yearly salary of €3m aside other bonuses. His camp have also been able to convince Villarreal to lower their demands, raising the possibility of a conclusion to what has been on for weeks.

Daniel Martins

World football governing body FIFA has slammed a transfer ban on English Championship side Watford over a disputed payment to Nigerian academy Megamu FC, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

The Aba based side claimed they took part in the training of the 25 year old and are due solidarity payment from his move to the team from Bordeaux. Watford declined their request and it was dragged to FIFA.

FIFA ruled in favor of the Nigerian side and gave Watford 45 days to pay up else a ban. They failed to meet the deadline leaving FIFA to slam a ban on them prohibiting them from signing any player.

“We refer to the above-mentioned matter as well as to the Decision passed by FIFA (the Decision),” the letter signed by FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s Head of Judicial Bodies (Adjudicatory), Julien Deux, sent to Watford FC and copied to the English FA reads.

“In this context, it appears that, despite the Decision, the respondent, Watford FC (the Respondent) has still not complied with its financial obligations towards Megamu Football Academy Club (the
Claimant).

“In this regard, we wish to inform the parties that a ban from registering new players internationally has been implemented by FIFA as of 19 July 2023.

“Moreover, and in accordance with the aforementioned decision, the Football Association (in copy) is requested to immediately implement on the respondent the Club Watford FC, if not done yet, a ban from registering new players at national level.

“We thank you for taking note of the above and for your valuable cooperation in this matter.”

The Super Falcons of Nigeria started their campaign at Women’s World Cup on a positive note by holding Olympic champions Canada to a 0-0 draw despite finishing the game with ten men, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Canada dominated the first half but the back four of the Randy Waldrum stood solid keeping them at bay until they were handed the chance from the spot following a foul by Francesca Ordega in the box.

After a review by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Christian Margaret Sinclair stepped up to take the spot kick but Chiamaka Nnadozie in goal for Nigeria kept her effort out with a strong left hand save. She followed up the rebound with another stretch to take it away from danger.

Tried as they could, Canada failed to break down the resolute Nigerian team who grew into the game as the second half progresses. A late tackle from Deborah Abiodun was upgraded to a red card after a VAR review.

Nigeria despite playing with a man less hanged on to claim a vital point in their opening game and keep their unbeaten record against Canada intact.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Italian Serie A side Atalanta are bracing up for the exit of Rasmus Hojlund who is a subject of interest to Manchester United and Ligue 1 giants PSG, Owngoalnigeri.com reports.

It is speculated that the club has already started drawing up plans for his exit by making contacts with players, who they see as his likely replacement in the wake of reports that he has already agreed personal terms with Manchester United.

Although there is still no agreement between both teams on his transfer fee, however his departure is very likely also with PSG also targeting him as an option in the event that Kylian Mbappe leaves the club with one year left to run on his current deal.

Atalanta are not leaving any stone unturned and they aim to sign a potential replacement even before he is sold as expected. Their search has led them to the doors of Nigeria international forward Emmanuel Dennis according to TuttoMercatoWeb.com.

Dennis is deemed surplus to requirements at English Premier League side Nottingham Forest just a year after his arrival from Watford, where he scored 12 goals with nine assists. He hasn’t found that same form with Forest with just two goals and three assists in 25 games last season.

Despite that poor return, Atalanta are unfazed and willing to push for a loan move with an option to buy with coach Gian Piero Gasperini a huge fan of the Nigerian. He believe he can help him rediscover his form like he did with Dennis international teammate Ademola Lookman, who ended last season with 15 goals and eight assists.

Lookman was signed on the back of a not too impressive year at RB Leipzig, which saw him loaned out in January to Fulham. He however thrived under Gasperini and it is part of the reasons why he wants to gamble on Emmanuel Dennis, who hasn’t played for Nigeria for almost a year.

Daniel Martins

The summer transfer window is currently in full swing, and football’s annual ‘silly season’ is well underway. We have already seen a number of high-profile signings with eye-watering amounts of cash being splashed across the globe. English prodigy Jude Bellingham is so far the most expensive acquisition, with his transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid costing the Spanish outfit a whopping €103m.

While Los Blancos have made the most expensive new purchase thus far, the Premier League has already opened its massive chequebook, as it always seems to do. Kai Havertz has left Chelsea to join London rivals Arsenal for a reported €70m, while the Blues have invested that money into RB Leipzig starlet Christopher Nkunku. Liverpool have also finally strengthened their midfield by bringing in Nkunku’s former Leipzig teammate Dominik Szoboszlai for the same fee, as well as Brighton’s Argentinian World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister.

Nigerian Interest This Transfer Window

There have been plenty of Nigerians in the headlines as well in recent weeks. Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is a wanted man after his 26 goals in 32 Serie A games last season led the Ciucciarelli to their first Scudetto in 33 years. A whole host of top clubs are interested in snapping up the 24-year-old, with Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United all registering their interest in recent weeks.

Lower down the English top flight, newly promoted Luton Town made Nigerian-born Republic of Ireland international ChiedozieOgbene their first signing of the transfer window. The pacey winger was brought in on a free transfer from Championship side Rotherham United, and it will be interesting to see if he can make the step up to the big time.

In light of both Osimhen and Ogbene making the back pages, we decided to take a look into other transfers involving Nigerians over the years. Here are the most expensive Nigerian transfers of all time.

Kelechi Iheanacho: Manchester City > Leicester City – €27m

In the latter stages of the 2015/16 season, a teenage striker named Kelechi Iheanacho burst onto the scene for a Manchester City side struggling in its first campaign under Pep Guardiola. While City were struggling, Leicester City were busy beating the bookies as they became the champions of England, with bookmakers giving them odds of 5000/1 before the campaign got underway. The feat remains perhaps the most spectacular sporting achievement of all time, with only iconic NFL bets in history such as the underdog New York Giants beating the perfect New England Patriots back in 2007 rivaling their accomplishment.

Iheanacho netted five goals in the final four games that season as the Blues stumbled into the top four and it seemed that the future was bright for the striker. The following season however, he wasn’t able to kick on, and he was ushered out of the Etihad Stadium to Leicester City for €27m in the summer of 2017.

As you can expect, much was expected of young Iheanacho at the King Power Stadium, especially considering the fact that the Foxes had just reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League the previous season. Unfortunately for both the player and the club, however, their newest striker couldn’t keep up with the goalscoring exploits of Jamie Vardy.

While the former Sheffield Wednesday youngster was busy netting 20 goals for the Midlands outfit, Iheanacho could muster up just three league goals for a new club. The following season wasn’t any better, and he could only manage just one solitary Premier League goal. In his six seasons at the King Power, he has only netted more than ten league goals once and to compound his misery, his team also suffered relegation to the Championship last season.

Alex Iwobi: Arsenal > Everton – €30m

Everton fans were quietly optimistic that Alex Iwobi would be able to add some much-needed dynamism to a midfield lacking in quality at Goodison Park but unfortunately, that has not been the case. He joined the Toffees in the summer of 2019 after scoring a stunning goal in the Europa League final months earlier, however, in his last two campaigns with the club, they have avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth.

The 63-time Nigeria international may still well have a future ahead of him. He is still just 27 years of age and he is just starting to come into his prime and as such, he may well be handed one last chance to prove himself on Merseyside under Sean Dyche next term.

Victor Osimhen: Lille > Napoli – €75m

As we have mentioned, Victor Osimhen is in the headlines once again this summer, just as he was back in the summer of 2020. That year, Napoli forked out a whopping €75m to acquire the Nigerian striker from Lille after he netted 13 goals in 27 games for the French side. A number of eyebrows were raised after he was made the most expensive signing in the history of African football however, it’s safe to say he has repaid his transfer fee and then some.

Osimhen is a hero in Napoli after delivering them the Scudetto last season. In addition to the 26 league goals he scored last term, he has scored 59 goals in total during his three years and 101 appearances spent at the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona. Whether he moves on this summer remains to be seen however, if he does, it’s highly likely that he will break his own transfer record.

German Bundesliga side Borrusia Monchengladbach have entered talks with Belgium side Gent over signing 25 year old defender Jordan Torunarigha, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

He is being lined up as a potential replacement for Swiss defender Nico Elvedi, who is expected to leave the club before the end of the current summer transfer window.

A fee in the region of €4m is what is said to be the asking price of the Belgium side and Monchengladbach have already indicated their willingness to pay the amount, that will see them bring the defender back to Germany, where he made his breakthrough playing for Hertha Berlin.

According to Sky, all parties involved are said to be keen on the move happening but Kicker reports that Monchengladbach also have their eyes on another defender in Felix Uduokhai who turned down the option of extending his deal at Augsburg.

However, they are aware of the fact that Napoli also wants the defender making Torunarigha, who recently pledged his international future to Nigeria a more realistic option before the end of the summer transfer window.

Daniel Martins.