The international future of on loan Arsenal goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo has taken a new twist after he was approached by the technical director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Austine Eguavoen.

Eguavoen was in London to see players of Nigerian descent following an invitation from Fulham defender Tosin Adarabiyio. He watched the game between Crystal Palace and Fulham which ended 3-0 in favor of the away team at Selhurt Park.

He subsequently met with Ebere Eze, Malcolm Eboiwei and Tayo Adaramola all of Crystal Palace. He also had talks with Josh Onomah of Fulham. The purpose of his trip was to convince the aforementioned players to pledge their allegiance to Nigeria at senior international level.

We exclusively gathered that he also reached out to Okonkwo who is on loan to League One side Crewe Alexandra from Arsenal. He had made 19 appearances this season with seven clean sheets to his name.

That form was said to have reached the ears of Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro who is looking for more options in goal after the not too impressive performance of the two goalkeepers in the team Francis Uzoho and Maduka Okoye.

Okonkwo we heard told Eguavoen that his representative is the one who can properly handle such discussions as he is focused on his development at Crewe with a view of returning to Arsenal next season.

The German Bundesliga will soon be home to another Nigeria international to bring the number of players playing in the league to two, presently only Kevin Akpoguma at Hoffenheim plays in the league.

That is about to change as he is likely to be joined by another Nigerian not just in the league but at his club Hoffenheim, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Casa Pia of Portugal winger Saviour Godwin is said to have agreed terms with Hoffenheim over a move when the transfer window opens in January. A fee is also been discussed by both clubs in view of getting the deal done and announced early.

Godwin was voted the best player in the Portuguese second division last season when he powered his team to promotion to the top division. This season he has also been a revelation for his modest side, he presently has three goals to his name.

Beyond his goals, he also won three man of the match awards and his overall contributions hasn’t gone unnoticed with Hoffenheim not scared of bringing him in now rather than wait till the summer when he will have a year to go on his deal.

He made his international bow for Nigeria against Algeria in an international friendly game which Nigeria lost 1-2. He was however also involved in the first game against the B team of Algeria but the game wasn’t recorded as an international game. It ended in a 2-2 draw.

As first reported by OwnGoalNigeria.com head coach of the Nigeria U20 team has extended an invitation to 19 year old Sao Paulo of Brazil forward Balogun Azeez to be a part of the foreign based players for the U20 Africa Cup of Nations.

The club confirmed his invitation on their official website with a letter of his invitation attached to the statement. He is expected to join the team at their camp in Abuja in the second week of January. Head coach Ladan Bosso wants all invited foreign based players to be around by that time.

Counsellor of the Brazilian team, Francesco Moretto while confirming his invitation said it’s a positive step and proved right their decision to recruit players from Africa. He said another African player at the club named Faisal will also join the Ghanaian team.

Azeez was spotted by the club during a scouting exercise in Nigeria where he represented Unique FC. He was initially signed on loan with an option of a five year deal based on the success of his initial loan deal. He has been a revelation for the B team so far.

Already he has trained with the first team and fans of the club seem to have taken to him by their comments on his social media handles whenever he post about his progress at the club.

The future of several Nigerian players will be decided in the coming days when the transfer window officially opens for winter business, Owngoalnigeria.com reports.

Already Yira Sor has set the ball rolling with his move to Belgium side Genk. His move is one of the several moves that will likely happen before the close of the window in January, with many planned moves working out well.

One cap Nigeria international defender Olisa Ndah who is on the books of South Africa side Orlando Pirates is among the players, who will be on the move in the coming days with Italian Serie A side Sassuolo keen on a deal.

According to isiZulu publication iSolezwe, Pirates have received an offer on the table from Serie A side Sassuolo, who are currently 15th in the Italian top flight log. The publication also goes on to state that they received this information from a source who is close to Ndah.

Sources close to the player in Nigeria also confirmed that talks are well underway over the transfer and a fee is almost agreed between both clubs. ” The interest started since the summer but it’s gathering pace now. Positive talks were held between both teams and a deal will likely happen sooner than expected”, our source revealed.

Ndah was a part of the team to the Africa Cup of Nations in January and made his international debut in that same tournament in the final group game against Sudan. He was called up for the friendly game against Portugal but injury stopped him from honoring the invitation.

The quest to have more Nigerian players born abroad to pledge their allegiance to the senior national team of Nigeria continued over the weekend as talks were held with five players, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Technical director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Austine Eguavoen was in England and saw the game between Crystal Palace and Fulham at Selhurt Park. He was there on the invitation of England youth international Tosin Adarabiyio.

Adarabiyio has represented England at several youth levels but he is now keen on switching to Nigeria but he wasn’t the only player who had talks with Eguavoen per what we exclusively gathered.

At Fulham, Adarabiyio’s teammate Josh Onomah also met with the NFF chief after the game. He has also represented England at various youth levels and was a part of the U17 World Cup winning team. Eguavoen also met with Ebere Eze.

Nigeria have courted Eze for two years with former coach Gernot Rohr terming him a special player. It is believed that he will consider the option of shunning England for the Super Eagles if he fails to make the squad for the next European Championship in 2024.

Also contacted at Crystal Palace was Malcolm Eboiwei, the nephew of Super Eagles coach Austine Eguavoen. He trained with the 2019 Nigeria U17 team but didn’t make the squad for the world cup. His remarkable growth in between the years has landed him at the top league in England.

Eboiwei is seen as one of the brightest prospects at the club and he has already played for the first team in top flight games. Eguavoen however has his eyes on another talent in Tayo Adaramola who is a left full back.

Adaramola is presently an international for the Republic of Ireland at U21 level after rising through the ranks from U17 level. At Palace he is yet to make his first team debut but he is highly rated at the club.

We also gathered that Eguavoen didn’t make any attempts to speak with Michael Olise, who was once invited by former coach Rohr as he has made it clear that his intention is to build his international career with the French national team, where he is a player of the U21 team. Olise is also eligible for Algeria.

The future of Emmanuel Michael, the star player of the Nigeria U17 team at the WAFU tournament where they emerged as champions appears to be heading to a conclusion, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Michael won three straight man of the match award at the WAFU tournament showing his ability from set pieces. He scored three freekicks at the tournament and supplied the assist that helped the team win the final match against Burkina Faso.

His performance brought him to the attention of several teams across Europe with as many as ten teams pushing for his signature. The Simoiben Football Academy prospect was even courted by Dutch giants Ajax.

However, it appears Ligue 1 giants Monaco are the favourites for his signature with the club’s scout pushing to have him sign an agreement that will come to effect when he turns 18 next year. Similar to the type of deal Real Madrid has with Brazilian teen wonder Endrick.

Their proposal is currently being studied by Simoiben Football Academy, who are in no hurry to make a decision on the player’s future. It is believed they will demand a fee in the region of €1-2 million.

The transfer window has started in earnest for Nigerian players with the imminent departure of Yira Sor to Belgium side Genk on a four and half year deal.

Per multiple reports in Belgium, the 2019 Nigeria U20 winger will join the team for a fee in the region of €6.5m which his team Slavia Prague which his club has agreed to. We gathered add ons could see the fee rise to almost €8m.

Last season he was the star of the team in the Europa Conference League scoring six goals in six games with three assists as well. In the league he picked up five assists with three goals. Genk tried but failed to sign him in the summer.

22 year old Sor will join fellow Nigerian Paul Onuachu in the attack of the Belgium side, who were champions two seasons ago thanks to the goals of Onuachu. Their part might however not cross as the lanky striker is heavily linked with a January move away from the team.

A product of famous Nigeria football academy 36 Lions, he is expected in Belgium for his medicals before the deal will be officially announced by both teams for him to join when the window officially opens in January.