Nigeria international defender Ola Aina still has an unresolved future at Italian Serie A side Torino with few weeks to the start of the new season in Italy.

Aina has a year left to run on his contract at the club and he isn’t keen on extending his stay after not having enough game time upon his return from representing Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.

He hasn’t hidden his desire to leave the club but such conversation isn’t on the menu of the club at the moment, as they have big issue to worry about following a viral video of the coach and sporting director fighting in public.

Torino sporting director Davide Vagnati and manager Ivan Juric were captured on video fighting in the car park at the club’s pre-season training camp in Austria.

Former Genoa and Verona coach Juric has had talks with club president Urbano Cairo several times, showing his disappointment at the bad policy of strengthening the team this summer.

Tensions got heated when the 44-year-old director arrived at the training base and was greeted by Juric, so much so that the pair started fighting in the car park.

Vagnati was physically held back as he and Juric started yelling at each other in a violent exchange. In the video, Juric said: ‘Leave me the f**k alone, I save your life. Go fuck yourself.

To which, Vaganti responded: ‘When you go to the president you don’t tell me anything you are not respecting me.

Juric hit back: ‘I want you to go away. Disappear.

The director stated: ‘I will build the team and you have to coach them, and you have to do it well.’

The two went back and forth with abusive remarks, Juric insisted: ‘You are p**sing me off, get away from me. Get off my d**k.

Vagantin added once again: ‘I will build a strong team… and you have to make them strong.

Juric, who has shown his disappointment in transfer dealings already, then said: ‘You are doing f**k all… you just a f**king imbecile.

To which Vaganti hit back again, saying: ‘You are a f**king nobody. Don’t raise your voice at me.

Juric’s side came came 10th last season, 20 points above the relegation zone and 20 points behind the top four, but they will be hoping for better fortunes this time round.

Most teams around Europe have rounded up their pre season training ahead of the start of the new season. Some players made the step up to the main team.

Portuguese top division side Vizela, who finished 14th last season concluded preparations for the season and listed players who have been registered to be a part of the first team.

The list had three Nigerians following the promotion of ex Nigeria U17 midfielder Monsuru Opeyemi to the first team. He will team up with the duo of Friday Etim and Emmanuel Maviram as the Nigerians at the club.

Opeyemi who was a part of the 2019 U17 team of Nigeria made a good impression on the coaches in pre season as he was involved in almost all of their pre season games. The box to box midfielder recently turned 18.

“At the helm of Vizela for the fourth consecutive season, coach Álvaro Pacheco  has five players recruited from the secondary teams: defenders Hugo Oliveira and Gonçalo Cunha, midfielder João Ricardo and striker Tiago Ventura, from the under-23, as well as Opeyemi , an 18-year-old midfielder promoted to the first team in pre-season”, the club announced in a statement on their official website.

Coach of Crystal Palace Patrick Viera has opened the door to what will be a potential tug of war between Nigeria and England over the international future of Malcolm Ebiowei.

The former Nigeria U17 invitee joined Crystal Palace in the summer on a free transfer from relegated English Championship side Derby County. He has settled down quite nicely at his new environment.

Ebiowei was one of the stars of their pre season campaign and he has been rewarded for his performances with a first team number in 23 ahead of the start of the English Premier League on Friday.

He is expected to be in the squad for the opening game of the season against Arsenal on Friday, with Viera tipping him to be huge for both club and country in the next few years.

In a his to help him grow as expected, the coach blocked all options of the 18 year old going out on loan insisting that he has what it takes to succeed in the English top division. Although he isn’t sure if he will get regular run of games.

Viera’s idea about the winger is to monitor and help his development at Selhurst Park than send him out on loan to a place, where he will probably lost some of the vital details he need to take his career to the next level.

If he develops as expected, he will be at the center of a tug between Nigeria and England as he is eligible for both nations. His uncle Finidi George is the first assistant to the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro.

Former Africa footballer of the year Victor Ikpeba has called on Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen to stay humble if he wants to make headway in his career, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Osimhen laid into the former Monaco star who said during a television broadcast that he shouldn’t have attempted a bicycle kick in the heat of the Super Eagles World Cup qualifiers playoff game against Ghana. Nigeria drew the game 1-1 and failed to make the World Cup on away goals rule.

Not wanting to go into a war of words with the Napoli forward, Ikpeba while speaking speaking on a radio program anchored by George Iniabasi on Comfort FM, said he won’t stop giving Osimhen word of advice.

He said he won’t take to heart the insults aimed at him by Osimhen who can easily pass as his son. Insisting that he understands while he spoke in that light as humans have different emotions. He however asked him to show some respect to those who have played the game before him.

” Human beings are different. I remember when I was a professional footballer many years ago i had my personality and character , I was very outspoken but I had respect for senior players , ”he told George who is popularly known as Mighty George.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will rely on the coach of the senior national team to set up a friendly game with Portugal after holding preliminary talks with the Portuguese FA.

Portugal have Nigeria on the list of potential teams they will play as part of their warm up game for the World Cup in Qatar. The aim is to prepare them for their game against Ghana who are in their group.

A top brass of the NFF revealed that talks have been held and it was mentioned to Peseiro upon his appointment and he is well in tuned with the idea. It’s now left for both parties to accelerate talks and set up possible meetings .

The Portuguese coach will be relied upon to use his connections to speed up talks especially with the postponement of the senior national team of Nigeria competitive games earlier fixed for September.

Peseiro also need the game as the next competitive fixture of the team will be next year and games like the proposed friendly against Portugal will help him to get to know the team better.

The chances of Nigeria adding another player born abroad to the squad of the senior national team of Nigeria has been given a boost, OwnGoalNigeria can exclusively reveal.

In the past few years Nigeria have been very active in luring players born abroad to pledge their allegiance to the senior team with the likes of Joe Aribo, Ademola Lookman and Calvin Bassey the latest in a long list.

One name who might likey join the list is newly signed Udinese right back Festy Oseiwe Ebosele who has represented the Republic of Ireland at U17 to U21. He is however yet to play for their senior national team.

He was signed on a free from relegated English Championship side Derby County, where he made the step up from the U18 to the first team. He had his breakthrough last season making 38 appearances for the first team with two goals to his name.

He is very comfortable playing as a right winger, right midfield or even as a left back but he played more as a right back with Udinese beating others to his signing on the strength of what he showed from same position.

Ebosele who turned 20 today was asked about playing for Nigeria if he gets called up, and he admitted that it will be hard to say no if he is deemed good enough for the Super Eagles.

“A call to play for Nigeria? I think no will be difficult to say. I won’t say no but for now I just joined a new team so I need to settle down and seal a spot in the team. That’s for me more important now”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

The new coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro is yet to properly settle down to his new role as coach of the team despite picking up two wins in his first two competitive games in charge of the team.

Peseiro will be saddled with the responsibility of calling up players for the first time when the list of players for their next international game is made public. It will be the first time he will be in charge of calling up players as he inherited the last squad he used in prosecuting the previous round of games.

One player who hasn’t gotten a call up since the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations is Cardiff City’s newly signed left back Jamilu Collins. The Nigerian international has already started life at his new base on a high by winning the man of the match in their first game of the season.

He spoke exclusively to OwnGoalNigeria.com on the man of the match award in the 1-0 win over Norwich City said he still has a future in the team. He said he need to perform at a consistent level to catch the attention of the new coach of the team.

” He knows me I want to believe. All I need to do is play more and do more. Help Cardiff get to the English Premier League and watch how things unfold. The coach is new so everyone can stand a chance”, he said.

One player whose future is still up in the air is Cyriel Dessers as he is yet to commit his future to Belgium side Genk despite a whirlwind start to the season.

He has scored three goals in two games this season with an assist as well but he is still keen on a move away as he bids to try his luck abroad following a successful loan spell with Feyenoord. He finished as top scorer in the Europa Conference League with ten goals.

Recent reports suggest he is in talks with FC Copenhagen of Denmark after he was pictured with the coach of the team Jesse Thorup in a picture circulated on social media platform Twitter.

Dessers has moved quickly to douse the speculation terming it as nothing but a chance meeting hinting that it happened while he was on vacation. He wondered if same would have been said if he was pictured in Barcelona having his vacation.

” If I’m in Barcelona on summer vacation, I won’t be linked with a move to Barcelona either, he says according to VoetbalPrimeuer.

Belgium top division side will in the coming days continue their tradition of signing Nigerian players as they are close to signing another player from the West Africa country.

Gent at some point had five Nigerians on their books namely Moses Simon, Samuel Kalu, Rabiu Ibrahim, Peter Olayinka and William Troost Ekong. They also later signed the duo of Emeka Chinonso and Adewale Oladoye from Abuja based academy Water FC.

With the duo no longer at the club, they are keeping in line with their links to signing Nigerian players as we reliably gathered that they are close to signing Flying Eagles and HB Academy highly rated striker Ahmed Abdullahi.

Abdullahi came to prominence during the last WAFU B U17 Championship of last year where he scored a brace in the final group game for the Nigerian team. He has been promoted to the U20 team.

He scored twice in the recently concluded WAFU B U20 championship which Nigeria won. A head injury denied him the chance to add to his goal count. He left Nigeria last week and he is in Belgium at the moment.

Sources in Belgium say he will sign a five year deal with the Belgium side in the coming days as every details which will make the deal happen for the 18 year old is almost sorted.

The number of Nigerian players plying their trade in Belgium is about to swell with top division side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise close to sealing a deal for a Nigerian forward.

The club is one of the most successful in the history of Belgian football. The club won eleven Belgian championships between 1904 and 1935, making it the most successful Belgian club before World War II.

In 2021 , Union won promotion back to the Belgian First Division A, marking its first appearance in top-flight football in 48 years. A feat which got better as they clinched a spot in the UEFA Champions League in their first season back in the top division.

They finished top of the table at the end of the regular season, the first club in Belgian history to do so the season after promotion to the top flight. Union would go on to finish second in the champions play off, securing Champions League qualification for the first time ever in club history.

The club is owned by Tony Bloom, who also owns Brighton and Hove Albion in the English Premier League. Several of Brighton’s players have been loaned to Union SG, including Deniz Undav, who was the Belgian club’s top scorer last season.

As part of their preparation for the qualifiers they have set their sights on former Nigeria U20 forward Victor Boniface who currently plays for Norwegian side FK Bodø/Glimt. He has shown really good form this year in the early stages of the qualifiers for the UEFA Champions League.

Boniface has scored five goals in four gamea so far and according to several reports in Norway, he caught the attention of lot of teams around Europe but Union SG are said to be the favourite for his signing.

Already his club FK Bodø/Glimt have signed his replacement in Strømsgodset’s Lars-Jørgen Salvesen with his agent Atta Aneke quoted as saying it will make no sense to have both players in the same team. It is seen as a hint that Boniface is on his way out.

“I think it would be stupid to have Victor and Lars Jørgen, two strikers who absolutely should and should play in any Eliteserie club, as competitors in the same club. It would be bad business for me, Glimt and the players.

“I don’t think that would be a smart idea. But in this case, we’ll see if Victor is there next week, Aneke stated in an interview on on the podcast “Synseligaen” where he was a guest.