Head coach of the Nigeria U20 team Ladan Bosso has opened up on the draws for the U20 World Cup in Argentina, where his team have been drawn in the same group with Italy, Dominican Republic and Brazil.

In an exclusive interview with OGN, Bosso opens up on how he intends to approach the tournament including his choice of players and also the need to make a huge impression at the tournament. He also spoke about their preparation and also support from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

On Group Stages:

I think it’s a fair draw because if you really want to be the best then you have to be ready to be up against the best and also beat them. So we have no fear over the group.

We start with Dominican Republic and that is the most important match just like any other first game of the tournament. Then we play Italy before Brazil. Starting on a sound note will improve the confidence of the boys for whatever team we will face including Brazil. We hope to be through before the final game of the group.

On His Team:

For now I have addressed the areas where I noticed we had problems at the Africa Cup of Nations. In the area of goalkeepers, I don’t think we need another hand , in defence I have one foreign based player lined up and in the midfield I have called three players Ebenezer Akinsanmiro from Inter Milan, Victor Eletu from AC Milan and Tochukwu Nnadi from Botev Plodiv in Bulgaria.

I am following the process of recovery of Daniel Daga day by day reports from the doctor. He is yet to return to the pitch, so we have doubts over his participation.

Foreign Based Players:

In my list I have over 20 of them but I won’t call all of them to be honest. I am looking at how the team will shape up while in camp and look at areas where we need more experience or hands. For now I have extended invitation to around 12 of them. Only the best will be in the team.

Problem In Attack:

It’s why I brought in the boy ( Emmanuel Umeh) from Bulgaria into the team and the Arsenal kid (Joel Ideho). Then two players outside the MRI grade set by the NFF for the U17 team are with me for the same purpose of beefing up the attack. They are very good but unfortunate not to be in the NFF grade which is 4 as opposed to 5 by CAF. I also brought in three strikers from Academy teams. I have addressed that area by 80%.

Provisional List:

I have drawn it up already and dropped some players who didn’t make it. From the AFCON team I have axed like ten players. It’s unfortunate but if you have the chance and fail to take it then someone else will have your spot.

Winning The U20 World Cup:

The idea is one game at a time, one stage at a time and see how far we can go. You don’t go to tournament for fun. The idea is to compete and that we will do and see how far we can go. It won’t be bad to be the first Nigerian team to win it.

Preparation And Support From NFF:

A lot more than what I expected to be honest. We have gotten almost everything we asked for and hopefully, we will have a team that will make Nigeria proud at the tournament.

Mohammed Mowiz

As first reported by OGN, Everton star man Alex Iwobi isn’t keen on extending his stay at the club with as many as six teams around Europe looking at making a bid for him in the summer transfer window.

Iwobi has been one of the standout players for Everton who are facing a huge battle to remain in the English Premier League as they are presently in 18th position although goal difference is what separates them from 17th placed Leicester City.

However, the decision to leave the team isn’t what was arrived at in the past few weeks with OGN reporting in October that already talks are advanced with a team playing in Ligue 1. The team is said to be a perennial campaigner in the UEFA Champions League.

Everton have been told by the camp of the player to hold on over talks of an extension but the idea is to let the club know at the end of the season that he is leaving. They hope to reach an amicable agreement on his exit.

For now his preference is a Ligue 1 team in the Champions League as he feels his next move might be his last big career move and he want to play in Europe’s premier club competition, he could be tempted to remain in the England.

We gathered he has received offers from some mid table teams in England, who are on the path of reaching the Champions League in few years time. There is also the chance of playing for a German team with less salary but the lure of playing in the Champions League gives them an edge.

Daniel Martins

The debate over the future of Nigeria international forward Victor Osimhen at Italian Serie A side Napoli appears to be settled and will be made public at the end of the season.

Osimhen is presently the top scorer in the league as Napoli close in on winning their first league title since the 90’s. The team however failed to make the most of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal game against AC Milan, losing out on a 2-1 aggregate score.

Before that game, Sky sports Germany revealed that all has been agreed for the Nigerian to join Bayern Munich in the summer with only an agreement missing between both teams. From then to now other teams have also joined the race for the 24 year old.

” He will leave in the summer. That has been agreed already in his camp and only a mammoth offer from Napoli which doesn’t seem likely will make him have a change of heart. Aside Bayern Munich, I know of PSG and two teams in England likely Manchester United and Chelsea”, a source in his camp told OGN.

” Bayern are the most advanced in talks and Osimhen who has his sights on a lot of individual awards believe that is the right platform for him. Remember his girlfriend is also from Germany and he spent the early days of his career there. Napoli can’t tie him down with an extension. He doesn’t want it and after next season he will have just one year left, so the time to cash out is now”, he rounded up saying.

Daniel Martins

The job of coaching the senior national team of Nigeria is one that usually appeals to former players of the team especially those who have played and also coach abroad.

Such is the lure that of the indigenous coaches who have worked with the team, six out of them of have all been former captains of the team with Austine Eguavoen the last ex captain to have handled the team.

Former captain Joseph Yobo worked with the team for two years without any coaching badge, one of the ills of ex president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick. So it’s a thing of shock when a former player of the team with a UEFA coaching license isn’t keen on the job in the future.

That individual is John Utaka who represented Nigeria at two different World Cups and presently works as an assistant coach in the Montpellier U19s set up. He already has his UEFA A licence.

As he inches towards bagging a UEFA Pro license that will enable him coach at any level in Europe, his sight isn’t on returning to handle the national team of Nigeria rather he is dreaming of making history as the first African coach to win the UEFA Champions League with a team in Europe.

“If the opportunity comes to coach a team in Europe, I will embrace it,” Utaka said. “My dream is to win the trophies that I didn’t win as a player. I want to win them as a coach. We’ve never had an African coach win the Champions League. That is a goal for me”, he told DW.

“When you get your chances, you have to take them,” said Utaka. “We have to persist, we cannot lose hope. We have to push and push. Football is a team sport, and we have to work together and learn from others.”

Osas Mahawi

The U17 team of Nigeria rounded up preparations for the U17 Africa Cup of Nations with back to back friendly game ahead of their departure to Algeria tomorrow for the tournament, OGN reports.

Drawn in group B alongside the trio of Morocco, South Africa and Zambia, they will be heading straight to the venue of the tournament straight from Abuja following the cancellation of the much publicized training tour of Germany.

Their campaign at the tournament will get underway on the 30th of Aprilagainst Zambia and they fine tuned preparation for that game with two wins in their final two test games ahead of the tournament.

Two days ago, they dispatched AS Roma Academy with a comprehensive 2-0 win and earlier today whitewashed Pride FC 5-0. A sign of how much goal scoring isn’t an issue with the Nduka Ugabde led team.

They will be hoping to pick one of the four tickets available at the tournament to represent Africa at the U17 World Cup later this year. They won the WAFU B championship in Ghana by beating Burkina Faso 2-1 in the final.

Mohammed Mowiz

The decision of the head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro to leave out Chuba Akpom from his Super Eagles team has sparked a reaction from the former captain of the team, OGN can exclusively reveal.

Akpom has scored 28 goals in 36 games in the English Championship for Middlesbrough this season, a form which includes scoring in nine consecutive games at home keeping alive their chance of making it into the promotion play off.

However that run of form hasn’t convinced Peseiro who made it known during the last international set of games that he is aware of the 27 year old but for now has no space for him in his team, the coach said he has players in the team who he has faith in ahead of the former Arsenal prospect.

In sharp contrast former captain of the Nigerian team John Obi Mikel wondered why the coach is leaving out the forward, whose form should at least give him an invitation at the barest minimum as club form should be rewarded with national team call up.

” It’s a straight forward choice if you ask me. You doing it for your team then you at least get an invitation. 28 goals and not a chance yet with Nigeria then you have to ask the coach why the top scorer in the championship is not in his team. Even England I believe will take a look at him with the way he is going”, Mikel told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” When you reward players doing well for their respective teams then you are sending a message to others to work hard but sadly I don’t think the coach shares my line of thought. There are several reasons to leave a player out of a team but at first give them a chance”, he rounded up saying.

Osas Mahawi

As Nigeria continue the build up to the U20 World Cup following the opening of their camp in Abuja, invitations has been sent out to some foreign based players to be a part of the team.

Head coach of the team Ladan Bosso has said he wants to improve the team that finished third at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. He has already backed his words with action as they reach the last step of their preparation for the tournament in Abuja.

Bulgarian side Botev Plovdiv announced on their official website that their Nigerian duo of Emmanuel Umeh and Tochukwu Nnadi have been called up to the Nigeria U20 team for the tournament.

Speaking to OGN in an exclusive interview, Bosso said he called up the duo to fortify two key areas in the team, which he thinks requires urgent attention. He explained that the duo will help out in the midfield and attack of the team.

” Umeh is a striker and it’s clear to see that at the AFCON that was one of our problems. For Nnadi he is a midfielder and we don’t have a clear picture on if Daniel Daga will be fit. I don’t want to take risk in that department”, he said.

Mohammed Mowiz

The coach of the U20 team of Nigeria Ladan Bosso has defended his decision to include two players of the current Nigeria U17 team in his provisional list of players for the U20 World Cup in Argentina.

Bosso picked the duo of Abubakar Abdullahi and Michael Emmanuel in his provisional list for the World Cup and the decision has brought mixed reaction from the football family in Nigeria.

Both Michael and Abubakar will be with the Nigeria U17 team in Algeria for the U17 AFCON before joining the U20 in their camp for the World Cup. Bosso told OGN that the duo represent the future of the next U20 and he wants to start the process of fast tracking them to the next level.

” It wasn’t my sole decision because I contacted the president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Ibrahim Musa Gusau who gave me the greenlight to go ahead. I also watched the team play in training and test games before settling for Michael and Abubakar”, he told OGN.

” Their coaches also suggested them to me and since we are keen on players progression to the next level. This is the first step towards it and I have always believe that if you are good enough then you are old enough”, he concluded.

Mohammed Mowiz