As many as five players from teams in the Nigeria Professional Football League have moved to teams in North Africa following the conclusion of the regular season in Nigeria’s top division.

Victor Mbaoma, Tosin Omoyele, Sikiru Alimi tops the list with the duo while others like Junior Lokosa moved to leagues in the Gulf region. TP Mazembe are also closing in on a deal for Austin Oladapo after signing ex Wikki Tourist forward Steven Gopey.

In time past, players from the domestic league in Nigeria use to move to top leagues and some even earn direct transfers to big teams like when Taiye Taiwo joined Marseille from Lobi Stars.

That era appears to be long gone and a top football agent, Alfa Mohammed explains why it’s almost impossible for top European teams to sign players from NPFL teams these day.

” Age is a big factor. Most of them are above the developmental stage of their career. That stage is usually before the age of 23 to 24. Most players in the NPFL are above that age, only teams from the North African region don’t worry about it. Also some teams in the Gulf region”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” If you watch the Brazilian league. Players are introduced into top professional teams at the age of 16 mostly. Back here I don’t think it’s possible. Unless our teams have young players who can be developed into big time players. European teams won’t look their way”, he concluded.

The chances of AC Milan signing Midtjylland Nigerian midfielder Raphael Onyedika has taken a big hit, with the Danish side openly warning the Serie A champions not to continue their pursuit of the player.

After rejecting a bid of around €4m from AC Milan, Midtjylland director Svend Graversen insists the Danish club want to keep Raphael Onyedika at the club for one more season.

“We want to keep Onyedika for one more season,” he said, as quoted by Calciomercato.com. Other reports however has it that the Danish side want whoever is appointed as new coach to have final say on the future of the player.

Led by club legend and ex captain Paolo Maldini, AC Milan sees Onyedika as the like for like replacement for Franck Kessie who joined Barcelona on a free transfer at the start of the summer transfer window.

Onyedika is valued at €10m and many believed if an offer of that value is lodged, it will force the Danish side to reconsider their stand on the 21 year old Nigerian.

It was a night of constrat for two players of the senior national team of Nigeria when Villareal locked horns with Croatian side Hadjuk Split in the Europa Conference League qualifiers.

The Spanish side triumphed 4-2 in the first leg with their Nigerian winger Samuel Chukwueze getting a rare start, which he took with both hands by grabbing an assist aside his all round performance.

Same can’t be said about his international teammate Chidozie Awaziem who is on loan to the Croatian side from Portuguese side Boavista. He started for the second game running and still looks very uncomfortable.

Awaziem was all over the place yesterday, making several unforced errors while on the ball and his bad movement and positioning gifted Villarreal two goals. The performance wasn’t too different from what he put up over the weekend in the league against Dinamo Zagreb.

He comically handed the chance to Dinamo Zagreb to seal a 4-1 win when he inexplicably gave the ball to an opponent by attempting a back heel control inside his own box. It’s hasn’t been the best of start for the former FC Porto defender at the club.

The captain of English Championship side Blackpool isn’t giving up on his chances to represent Nigeria as a reward for his fine start to the season in England.

Marvin Ekpiteta has picked up two man of the match award in four games this season in the English Championship, following up to his last season perfomance where he was voted as the club’s player of the season.

His agent told OwnGoalNigeria.com two days ago that he will be writing to the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro on his case. Ekpiteta has now reacted to the story.

” He saw it and his reply was that maybe they have forgotten he is a Nigerian. I’m a Nigerian he jokingly said to me”, his representative revealed. ” He is 26 now and feels he need to have a taste of international football now as he is in his peak years”.

Ekpiteta trained with the 2013 Nigeria U17 team but failed to make the team to the tournament, where Nigeria emerged as champions. He has since grown into a defender rated among the best in the English Championship.

The departure of goalkepper Kasper Schmeichel from Leicester City to French Ligue 1 side Nice has forced coach of the  the club Brendan Rodgers into reshuffling the leadership group at the club.

Schmeichel’s role as captain was handed to Johnny Evans with long serving winger Marc Albrighton named as his vice captain. One of the longest serving players at the club as he has been there since joining in 2014 on a free transfer from Aston Villa.

They were a number of candidates for the role, with Jamie Vardy, Youri Tielemans, and Ricardo Pereira all having captained the side before, and with James Maddison and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall recently praised for their leadership abilities.

Prior to the decision to name him as vice captain, they were talks about the fact that he is no longer a regular hence Nigeria international Wilfred Nididi who has been a regular since 2016 should be considered. Rodgers however defended his decision.

“The squad have got two fantastic professionals that set a standard every day in Jonny and Marc. Their experiences and the level of how they commit themselves every day to their work, they’ll provide a great inspiration and a real source of comfort for the other players, who know they are there to look after them and support them.”

“Marc, whenever he’s asked to contribute and play, he always gives absolutely everything to the cause. He still fights and shows every day in training that he wants to play. I can’t speak highly enough of him.

“He’s a great guy who’s got the total respect of his team-mates and the total respect of all the coaches. Whether he starts or whether he’s on the bench, his contributions are always invaluable here.”

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English Championship side Watford are considering the next line of action on one of their Nigerian players after he suffered another injury which will keep him out for a month.

Despite the departure of Emmanuel Dennis, Watford have four Nigerians on their books namely Maduka Okoye, William Troost Ekong, Tom Dele Bashiru and Samuel Kalu who joined in January.

Kalu has been the unfortunate among the quartet as he has suffered six different injuries in his brief stay at the club limiting him to just four appearances. The 24 year old is set yet to make an appearance in the matchday squad this season due to a hamstring injury.

He will be out for a further one month and it has led to an inquest about his state of health, with the club exploring options to find a permanent cure or release him early from his contract, which still has three years to run.

Prior to the start of the season he was deemed surplus to requirements and his representatives were told a loan option won’t be turned down by the club, however that isn’t possible due to his current injury.

The coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has drawn up the list of players who will represent Nigeria next month in two proposed friendly games, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Nigeria will use the September international window to play two high profile friendly games following the postponement of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. As first reported by OGN, talks are underway with Portugal and also Cameroon.

Peseiro has already concluded plans on his part and we exclusively gathered that as many as five new players will be in the squad. Wilfred Nididi is expected to be among the players who will work with the Portuguese coach for the first time.

Ndidi missed the first two games of the coach due to injury but he is now expected to be in the squad alongside his Leicester City teammate Kelechi Iheanacho. There could be a return for exiled goalkepper Maduka Okoye.

” It’s likely more of the same players but five new faces could be in the mix. For now I know of three who have been contacted. For sure Ndidi, Iheanacho will be back in the team. Okoye is a possibility if all goes well in the coming days”, a technical committee member told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

He further revealed that three players namely Shehu Abdullahi, Leon Balogun and Oghenekaro Etebo will be left out of the team to enable them get their club career back on track.

” Shehu and Balogun are without a club for now. Etebo is technically in that list as he wasn’t registered by his team for the season. Unless he sorts out his club future he will be excused like the others”, he concluded.

Nigeria international forward Victor Osimhen opened his season goal account with a goal in their 5-2 win over Verona. The game was their first in the Italian Serie A for the season.

Osimhen finished last season with 14 Serie A goals, four goals more than his tally in his debut season at the club. Coming into his third season all eyes are on him to surpass his feat in the previous two seasons.

In his contract, he is entitled to a special bonus reported to be close to €1m, if he scores 20 goals in a season. That agreement was part of the sweetener the club used in convincing him to join them from Ligue 1 side Lille.

Speaking on goal targets, the 23 year old who is aware of the bonus he is due if he scores 20 goals said his aim is to first of all help the team, while speaking after his goal against Verona over the weekend.

“I’m very happy, it was very important to start well. We have to feel the same as last year and start in the best way. I’m not the type of player who sets a goal target, I want to score to help the team, I put the collective in front.”

As new coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro settles down into his role, it is expected that he will hand first time call up to several players doing well for their respective teams.

Peseiro has already led the team in two competitive games winning against Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe respectively. The next competitive game for the team will be next year.

That extension means the coach can now decide to try out new players in proposed friendly games against Cameroon and Portugal respectively next month, as first reported by OwnGoalNigeria.com.

A call has been made to the Portuguese manager to hand a chance to 26 year old Blackpool defender Marvin Ekpiteta. He is presently the captain of the English Championship side and was last season voted as their player of the year.

Yesterday he picked his second man of the match award in four games this season in their 1-0 win away to QPR. A perfomance that led us to the gate of his management agency Elite Management Agency.

” Of course he deserve a chance with the senior national team of Nigeria. Marvin has been phenomenal for two seasons now and I will write to the coach of the Nigerian team to hand him a chance”,  a representative of his agency told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Ekpiteta trained with the 2013 Nigeria U17 team but failed to make the team to the tournament, where Nigeria emerged as champions. He has since grown into a defender rated among the best in the English Championship.