The coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro said he is still leaving the door open for players who have been a part of the team before his appointment but are yet to be called up since he took charge.

Peseiro made this known when he was asked about the fate of some players who haven’t been a part of the team in the six games he has coached the team so far. He pointed out that their form at club level has a big role to play in handing them a chance.

” I know the players who were here before I came and they will get their chance if they continue to do well with their teams. That is the way to get into my team because I want competition in all position”, Peseiro said before the 1-2 loss against Algeria in a friendly game.

Going by his statement, Genk forward Paul Onuachu who last played for the team around a year ago has put himself in prime position for a recall to the team ahead of the friendly game against Portugal, with his current form. He didn’t start the season so well but he is presently on a scoring run.

Yesterday he scored a brace against Westerlo to take his goal count for the season to six in ten games, all the goals came in the last four games where he scored once against KV Oostende, OH Leuven in addition to a brace against KV Kortrijk, before that of yesterday in the 6-1 hammering of  Westerlo.

Atalanta move to two points behind league leaders Napoli following a 2-1 win against Sassuolo. The win also preserved their unbeaten start to the season.

The result left coach of the team Gian Piero Gasperini elated as expected and he was full of praises for his players calling them one of the best group of players he has ever managed. He reserved special words for Nigeria international winger Ademola Lookman.

Lookman was on target for the thrid consecutive game after using quick feet to evade his marker before slotting with his left from a defence splitting pass. Signed for just €8m, he is slowly becoming the bargain of the summer.

“Lookman is what you call a player. He always knows what to do, he moves well, he is fast, he has technique,” Gasperini was quoted as saying by Pazzi Di Fanta.

“I also give him the goal from Monza, because it is true that it is an own goal, but it would never have been a goal if he did not arrive,” he added.

Playing in a hybrid system alongside Luis Muriel he has been their man outlet for goals this season as he also has three assists all in ten games this season. His career that appeared to have hit the rocks following his move to RB Leipzig is back on track.

The former Everton winger haven’t had the best of times since his permanent move to RB Leipzig two years ago as he failed to build on his successful loan spell. He had back to back loans away from the club, first was at Fulham before Leicester City last season.

Coach of English Premier League side Everton Frank Lampard has revealed the secret behind the sudden turn around in the form of Nigeria international Alex Iwobi since he took over as coach last season.

Iwobi showed glimpses of what convinced the Toffees to pay big money to Arsenal for him to join them three years ago towards the end of last season. This season he has taken his performance to another level playing in three different roles in the midfield.

He has played the majority of his games as a winger but Lampard realized his best position is in the middle and this season has played him in three different roles which he excelled in making himself a sure starter.

Explaining the sudden change in his form, the coach narrowed it down to seeing what his strengths are and giving him the confidence to execute whatever he wants on a regular basis. He said for years he was wasting away on the flanks.

‘At the moment, I said it last week, I think he’s one of the best midfield players in the league in my opinion in terms of being a No.6 or No.8,’ Lampard said on Thursday.

“He played as a double No.6 earlier in the season and was really, really good for us, and then moved into a slight advanced No.8, and again, his form has been great.

“His development has been brilliant. It’s a funny one, I think there was a perception about Alex when I came in, and it’s all his work, all I’ve done is support him and try to maybe adapt the position slightly, the rest is him.

‘I felt and always saw he’d be dangerous in the middle area of the pitch. It probably helped I was a midfield player and I understood some of the things he had I wouldn’t want to go up against, and I felt they were restricted on the wing. Opening the pitch up more centrally was a big help for him and then the rest is him”.

Coach of Italian Serie A side Napoli has called on Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen to work on certain aspects of his game after he scored the winner for his team in a 3-2 win over Bologna.

The Nigerian has now scored two goals in two games following his return from injury which kept him out for six weeks. He now has three league goals in six games for high flying Napoli, who are yet to lose a game this season.

Napoli have plethora of forwards to pick from and even in the absence of Osimhen, they showed no sign of missing him although his return has seen him push Spalleti to alter the formation that worked in the absence of the Nigerian.

Reacting to the performance of the Nigerian and how he affects his team shape, Spalleti said there are areas he need to work on for the good of the team and he believe it’s a matter of time before he finally gets to have that quality he is missing at the moment.

Below is an extract from his interview with Italian news outfit.

Radio Kiss kiss- What did I tell Osimhen during the interval?

Spalleti: I gave him the right charge? Either you are one to play at these levels with the Napoli shirt, a motivated one, or you are not at this level. You are either motivated or mediocre, you have to choose.

Osimhen played a good game, but he still needs to grow in condition. I still don’t see him climbing on to two or three defenders I don’t see him doing it yet, this takes away the race from the whole team and makes us win back the ball further back.

Relegated English Premier League side Watford are not finding it easy and their bid for an immediate return to the English Premier League from the English Championship.

The team have had to endure a poor run of form and also injuries to key players. At a point they went on a run of four straight games without a win and it led to the sacking of their coach. Slaven Bilic has been appointed to turn things around.

Despite all that has taken place at the club with several players getting a run of games in a bid to arrest the slump, there is still no spot in the team for one of the celebrated signings at the club. He is out of favour Nigeria international winger Samuel Kalu.

Kalu hasn’t had the best of time since his move to the English side as he has played just five games, four in the English Premier League and one in the Championship. Injuries and poor form haven’t been nice to him, so bad that he is now seen as yesterday’s man at the club. As a matter of fact he was told he is free to leave the team in the summer but had no offer to leave.

“Watford had the luxury of apparently not even needing to put their 25-year-old Nigerian international winger on the bus to Blackpool. At roughly £13,500 per minute of first-team football since joining from Bordeaux for £3m, that’s expensive and unsuccessful recruitment at its very finest”, Andrew French wrote in his article for Watford Observer while speaking on the woes of the team.

It’s safe to say the bravest coach in the history of modern day Nigerian football is the present U23 coach Salisu Yusuf, following the recent call up extended to players plying their trade abroad ahead of the U23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Tanzania.

The team is expected to face Tanzania with the first leg holding in Dar es Salaam in the weekend of 21st- 23rd October. The reverse fixture is billed for the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba Ibadan on Saturday, October 29.

Yusuf called up ten foreign based players top of which is former Nasarawa United forward Sunusi Ibrahim. A player who has played a total of seven games since the start of the year 2022. However he is still the one whose invitation can be said to be deserved to an extent.

There is a reason why the list wasn’t made public as we gathered it’s pack filled with players from leagues which are not even up to the level of third tier leagues in Nigeria. The argument is that players playing in top rated leagues won’t be available since the game is going to be played outside the FIFA international window.

A fair enough excuse but it is also not true as with a well planned list and early invitation players from Portugal, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark and France would have been available. Let’s run through the players doing well abroad in the above mentioned leagues who are within the age limit and would have been available for the game.

From France former Bayelsa United forward Okardi Inikurogha has found his way into the first team of Ligue 2 side Grenoble just six months after joining the B team. The FA Cup winner with Bayelsa United two seasons ago in Nigeria has followed up his fantastic display in pre season which includes scoring against Auxerre to the season proper. He has played there games so far for the promotion chasing side.

Still in France, Kabiru Idress who was signed by top division side Marseille after a scouting tournament in Abuja has trained on several occasions with the main team while he continue to get enough game time with the B team in the French youth league.

Okardi’s teammate at his former side Bayelsa United Victory Beniangba was so hot after six months in Egypt with Cleopatra that he sparked a transfer tussle between LaLiga side Celta Vigo and Belgium side Genk.  The dispute was settled in favor of the player three weeks ago and he has since gone ahead to play for the B team of Gent where he scored a goal over the weekend.

The idea is to have him build up his fitness with the B team before he moves to the main team. He has trained severally with the main team, the same can be said of Victor Ehuwa Eletu who captains the U19 of AC Milan at the age of 17.

In Denmark there is ex Nigeria U17 forward Ibrahim Said who has been ever present for Danish side Viborg and even played in the Europa Conference League qualifiers game against West Ham. He scored three goals before they were knocked out. Presently he has played 13 games in the Danish top division.

His case is a bit different from Mark Ugboh, a young goalkeeper at FC Midtjylland. However the fact that he is now a part of the first team at the age of 18 and going by what has been said about him by his coaches. He would have no doubt be a positive addition. This season he has been named on the bench twice in European Cup games and thrice in the league.

From Sweden, there is ex Nasarawa United forward Silas Nwankwo. He has put behind him the whole controversies about his age with seven goals in 24 games. In Portugal there is Opeyemi Monsuru, the ex Nigeria U17 midfielder who started for top division side Vizela in their first league game of the season.

Moving down to Bulgaria, Emmanuel Umeh has been a revelation for Botev Plovdiv, after scoring thrice in two games for the B team, he was fast tracked to the main team. He has since made his top flight debut alongside another Nigerian Samuel Akere, he is also eligible for the present Nigeria U23 team.  From the same team 19 year old Tochukwu Nadi has played in every game this season.

The above mentioned players are the few players, who are within the age limit and would have been available for the qualifiers but Salisu thought otherwise.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Nigerian international football player Victor Osimhen recently played down talks of his possible move away from Italian Serie A side Napoli.

Victor Osimhen is a Nigerian international men’s professional football player who currently plays at club level for Italian Serie A side Napoli. In the summer of 2022, there was lots of talk surrounding his future and a possible move to the English Premier League amid interest from Arsenal and Manchester United.

He has just returned from a hamstring injury and will face Cremonese away in the league on Sunday, October 9th. The question being asked here is should Victor Osimhen look to move away from Napoli next summer?

Who is Victor Osimhen?

The 23-year-old striker was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1998. He began his career at the Ultimate Strikers Academy before joining Vfl Wolfsburg in 2017. He also had a brief spell on loan at Charleroi before moving to Lille and playing for the French side from 2019-2022. His sensational move to Napoli was finalised in July 2020 when the Italian giants paid a club-record fee of €70 million for the striker, which would eventually rise to €80 million when you include the add-ons. The move also saw him become the most expensive African transfer in history.

He was part of the winning team in the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2015, and he made his debut for his country’s senior team in 2017. Osimhen was in the Nigerian side that came third in the African Cup of Nations tournament (AFCON) in 2019, and since making his international debut, he has played 22 games for Nigeria, scoring an impressive 15 goals. At club level, he has made 56 appearances for Napoli, scoring 26 goals across all competitions. He has just bounced back from a hamstring injury and will be looking to add to his tally in the current 2022/23 Serie A campaign.

Should Osimhen leave Napoli?

Napoli are currently sitting at the top of Serie A, and they are also at the top of group A in the UEFA Champions League, so it might be a silly move to leave Napoli while they are riding so high. If they carry on with the way they are playing at the moment and keep getting the results they need, they could end up winning the league and winning the Champions League. If they do win both, then you would have to ask, why would a player want to leave a club that has achieved so much?

However, if the results don’t go Napoli’s way, and the right club comes knocking and offers even more money, there would be nothing in the way of stopping the player from joining another club. Only time will tell what he will do.

How likely is it that Osimhen will stay, and can Napoli do the ‘double?’

It seems as though Osimhen will stay at Napoli for the foreseeable future, or at least until the end of this current season or when his contract expires. If you’re wondering whether Napoli can win the double (the Serie A league title AND the Champions League), the best thing to do would be to look to the major sports betting sites to see what kind of odds they are currently offering for Napoli.

At a domestic level, most sites have Napoli as joint favourites to win the league along with AC Milan. Both clubs are currently priced at around +250 (which is 5/2 in UK fractional odds, or 3.50 in European decimal odds). If you live in Ghana, for example, and fancy placing a wager on Napoli, or Victor Osimhen, real money online betting in Zambia is now possible over at 10Bet Africa – one of Africa’s most trusted online sports betting sites. It’s free to sign up to, and the app can be downloaded and installed onto most smartphone and tablet devices in just seconds.

Despite the club being in fine form, many online sportsbooks currently have them priced as SEVENTH odds-on favourites to win the Champions League, which is behind Chelsea, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester City, despite Napoli doing so well in the group stage. The average odds of Napoli winning the Champions League are around +2,700 in American/Moneyline odds (or 25/1 in fractional odds, and 26.00 in decimal odds).

Napoli’s recent results and upcoming fixtures

Let’s start by taking a quick look at how Napoli are doing in the Champions League. In their first group stage match, they beat Liverpool 4-1 at home. They then went on to beat Rangers 3-0 away before beating Ajax 6-1 away. This means they have 9 points from 3 games, having won all three, scored 13, and let in just 2 goals. In Serie A, they have played 8, won 6, drawn 2, and lost none, scoring 18 and letting in 6 goals (which gives them a +12 goal difference). They have 20 points, and so does Atalanta, but Atalanta are slightly behind on goal difference (+9). In some of the most notable league wins, they beat Lazio 2-1, Spezia 1-0, Milan 2-1, and Torino 3-1.

On Sunday, October 9th, as mentioned, they play away to Cremonese before a home game against Ajax in the Champions League on October 12th. Their next Serie A outing is on Sunday, October 16th, at home to Bologna, and then on October 23rd, they travel to Roma. If you watch any of these upcoming games, don’t forget to keep an eye out for Osimhen, who will no doubt shine.

Freiburg of Germany were one of the biggest winners in yesterday’s Europa League games following their 4-0 win over French Ligue 1 side Nantes. The win helped them to seal passage to the next knock out round of the tournament.

The German side proved to be too strong for their French opponent by following up their 2-0 win last week in same fixture with another comprehensive win in the reverse tie. Nantes had the vice captain of the senior national team of Nigeria Moses Simon on for over 70 minutes.

However it was another Nigerian, who was born in Germany that stole the show with a goal that was later deemed to be own goal. He is 20 year old Kevin Schade who was born in Germany to parents of Nigerian descent.

Scahde has emerged powerfully from a long Injury set back suffered last season and he has already made his mark with a goal in four games in the ongoing German Bundesliga. A full time youth international for Germany at several levels he is still eligible to represent Nigeria at senior level.

He was asked by France based Nigerian journalist Ojora Babatunde after the game if he hopes to follow in the footsteps of the duo of Leon Balogun and Kevin Akpoguma, who were both born in Germany but now play for the senior national team of Nigeria.

”No, I grew up in Germany, it’s difficult so I played every time for Germany, I think  I want to play for Germany. I love Nigerian food, my best friend is Nigerian too and so every time his family comes, they bring family food from Nigeria. Spicy rice, first time it was very hard but now I’m good”, he told the YouTube channel of OJB Sports.

One of the most repeated quotes in football is Pele’s claim that an African team will win the World Cup by the end of the millennium.

The turn of the millennium has come and gone, and the wait is still on for a team from the continent to lay their hands on football’s ultimate prize.

AFRICA AND THE WORLD CUP

Africa was part of the early history of the World Cup with Egypt featuring in the second ever tournament in 1934. However, they had to wait until Argentina in 1978 for their first win as Tunisia came from behind to claim a 3-1 victory over Mexico in a group stage fixture.

There was another lengthy wait for a significant stride in the World Cup as Cameroon impressed at Italia 90.

Driven by Roger Milla, the Indomitable Lions beat the likes of Romania and Colombia on their way to the quarter-final where they lost to England.

That performance from Cameroon appeared to open the floodgates for African teams at the global showpiece. The Super Eagles of Nigeria entertained on their way to round of 16 finishes at USA 94 and France 98

There appears to be a quarter-final block with African teams as no side has ever reached the semi-final of the World Cup. Following Cameroon were Senegal and Ghana who both reached the last eight in Korea/Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010.

The 2010 World Cup was the first and only time Africa hosted the World Cup, and it was also the closest a team from the continent has come to progressing beyond the quarterfinals. The Black Stars of Ghana were only inches away from beating Uruguay and reaching the last four but were foiled by that infamous handball from Luis Suarez and then the woodwork.

Africa endured their worst ever World Cup campaign at the 2018 tournament in Russia. None of the representatives progressed from the group stage while teams like Morocco and Egypt failed to win a single game.

RENEWED OPTIMISM

Despite the disappointment in 2018, there is still plenty of optimism that Africa is inching closer to her first ever World Cup triumph. Football on the continent has grown in leaps and bounds in recent years as there are more players playing top flight football in elite leagues across the world than ever before.

More African stars are also getting into the final shortlists for major international awards. Players like Sadio Mane have played pivotal roles in the recent success of their club sides, and will be looking to carry that experience into the national team.

As we head into the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, one question is being asked: is it finally Africa’s time? Will a team from the continent finally fulfill Pele’s prophecy?

AFRICA AT THE QATAR 2022 WORLD CUP

Of all of Africa’s representatives at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Senegal are the least experienced and will be making only their third appearance at the tournament. However, they have impressed in their two previous appearances, reaching the quarterfinals in 2002 and only missing the knockout stage in 2018 due to the fair play rule.

The Teranga Lions appear to be Africa’s brightest prospect heading into Qatar.

If you are a betting man, you will have noticed that most of the top football betting apps have picked them as the clear favorites to win if the trophy indeed comes to Africa.

They are the current AFCON holders, the number one ranked team on the continent and boast some of the best players in the world like Mane, Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly.

Other African countries have their strong points like Cameroon with the experience of seven previous World Cups behind them while Ghana have come closest to reaching the last four.

North Africans, Morocco and Tunisia are always entertaining and can claim a few scalps in Qatar.

Another reason for optimism is that a lot of the big teams are struggling to find their rhythm at the moment. Defending champions France appear to be going through an internal crisis in the build up to the World Cup while the likes of Spain, Portugal, England and Germany have all flattered to deceive lately.

Yes, traditional powerhouses Brazil and Argentina are still in the picture and are playing well at the moment. However, with most of the other big guns struggling as the Mundial draws close, Africa could be poised to capitalize in Qatar.

THE BOTTOMLINE

Football continues to develop in Africa, although there are still a few hampering factors like a lack of infrastructure. What is not in question is that the continent has come a long way in her standing in the world of football.

Whether it comes in Qatar or the North American tournament in 2026, one thing is certain, Africa could be on the cusp of great things in football’s global showpiece.