The race for the position of the head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria has been narrowed down to just five names, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

We gathered from sources in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) that no agreement has been reached yet with any coach but contacts have been made with the coaches. So far the responsive has been positive.

Talks were now be centred around five names which we gathered as Ernesto Valverde, Laurent Blanc, Philip Cocu, Jose Peseiro and Antoine Conceicao.

Former Barcelona coach Valverde is keen on the role same as Blanc who had a very successful stint as coach of Ligue 1 side Bordeaux, PSG and the senior national team of France.

However their expected salary could pose a stumbling block in talks paving the way for the trio Conceicao, Cocu and Peseiro who are believe to be expecting salaries within the range of what the NFF can offer.

Peseiro in particular stand a very good chance as he has already agreed a deal before it was vetoed for Austine Eguavoen’s interim role to be extended beyond the Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria crashed out in the round of 16.

Former interim coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen says the practice of having players born abroad is a trend that has come to stay in Nigerian football.

Eguavoen who returned to his role as technical director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) after the failure to qualify for the World Cup 2022 in Qatar,no thanks to the 1-1 draw against Ghana in Abuja disagrees with the notion that players born abroad are not commited to the team.

The coach who insist he is an advocate for players playing in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) however feels the level of international football for now is too steep for players in the NPFL.

” In terms of talent, they are talented but these days talent is not enough. There is a level you have to reach to be able to compete at international football level. Sadly our league is not at that level yet but we have some really good talent”, he said.

“That said you have to be objective when it comes to the issue of players born abroad. Contrary to opinions in some quarters. They are very commited to the Nigerian cause else they won’t accept to play. Look at the level they are and you’ll understand that the team need them to be competitive. I feel it’s a trend that has come to stay”, he concluded.

Former coach of the senior team of Chelsea Eddie Newton will be interested in handling the senior national team of Nigeria if offered the chance, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are hunting for a new coach for the senior national team following the sacking of Austine Eguavoen led technical crew. So far some names have been shortlisted.

Leading the cast is former coach of the senior national team of Cameroon Antonio Conceicao but Newton who has Nigerian roots will no doubt be interested in the job even though be wasn’t shortlisted or contacted.

Replying to a mail from this portal, a member of his management team said his Nigerian roots will make it almost impossible for him to turn down the chance to handle Nigeria at senior level.

” Many are not aware that he is from Nigeria. But look at his full name Edward John Ikem Newton. That link with Nigeria is enough motivation to want to be a part of the rebuilding process for Nigerian football. He hasn’t been contacted though”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Per Wikipedia, Newton who played for Chelsea for nine years began his coaching career at MK Dons as an assistant to Roberto Di Matteo. Full citation below.

On 2 July 2008 Newton was appointed assistant manager to Roberto Di Matteo at Milton Keynes Dons. A year later, on 30 June 2009, Di Matteo was appointed head coach of West Bromwich Albion and it was reported that Newton would be joining him at the club as assistant head coach. When Di Matteo was relieved of his duties in January 2011, Newton also left the club.

On 5 March 2012 it was announced that Newton would be joining the back room staff at Chelsea, supporting Roberto Di Matteo.

Di Matteo had just taken over as interim Head Coach at Chelsea following the departure of André Villas-Boas. In his short time as assistant manager at Chelsea he has won the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup. He currently helps to oversee the progress of Chelsea’s loan players after having been assistant first team coach under Guus Hiddink in for the second half of the previous season.

Following the departure of Hiddink, Newton returned to the loan technical coach role until 2019, when he became an assistant coach to the first team following the appointment of Frank Lampard as head coach.

He was appointed assistant manager at Trabzonspor in February 2020.

On 2 August 2020, Newton was appointed by Trabzonspor on a permanent basis, after a successful period as caretaker winning the Turkish Cup. On 31 October 2020, he was sacked as the club’s manager after winning just one of his seven games in charge.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has decided to keep the coach of the U20 team Ladan Bosso despite their failure to qualify for the Africa U20 Cup of Nations last time out, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Bosso was retained but his backroom staff have been strengthened with the promotion of coach Fatai Amoo from the U17 team as his first assistant. A new goalkepper trainer will also be employed following the sacking of Suleiman Shuaibu.

Former assistant coach of the Nigeria U17 team Nduka Ugbade will now be at the helm with the elevation of Amoo. Ugbade is tasked with replicating the success he enjoyed with Manu Garba who was his head coach.

For the senior national team of Nigeria, two time league winner with Plateau United and Akwa United Kennedy Boboye has been tipped to join the senior set up as one of the assistants of the main team but as first assistant to Salisu Yusuf for the CHAN Eagles.

All changes will be made official within the week. Bosso is expected to open camp on Wednesday ahead of the WAFU Championship next month.

19 year old Nigerian forward Etiosa Ighodaro has played his way into the heart of two European teams owing to his fine form for University of Pretoria in the South Africa second division.

On loan from Mamelodi Sundowns he has proven to be a shrewd acquisition with seven goals and eight assists as his team maintain their push for a promotion slot at the end of the season.

OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal that contacts have been made with his management team by Italian Serie A side Spezia who have been a long time admirer of the Nigerian.

Also Serbian side Crvena Zvezda have also sounded out his representatives. Both teams are aiming to reach an agreement that will see him join them early enough before the start of pre season training in June.

For the second year running Nantes Nigerian winger Moses Simon has kept his spot as the highest earning African Player in the French Ligue 1.

The 26 year old who is one of the first names on the starting lineup for the Ligue 1 side the past three seasons is the highest earning player at the club per a report by France media outlet L’equipe.

Simon goes home with €150,000 every month aside bonuses which are linked to assist and goals scored. He presently has three goals and seven assists from 37 games this season.

It is the third season in a row that he is having ten goals plus contribution and as expected it hasn’t gone unnoticed by top teams around Europe with Nantes opened to let him leave.

For now English Premier League side Newcastle United are the front runners for his signing for a fee in the region of £15 million and personal terms said to be around £100,000 a week.

The former goalkepper and captain of the senior national team of Nigeria Vincent Enyeama has called on foorball loving Nigerians to be patient with the present set of goalkeppers in the team.

Nigerians have been talking about the exit of the former Lille shot stopper in recent times more than before after two costly error by the duo of Maduka Okoye and Francis Uzoho in crucial games.

Okoye was largely at fault for the goal Nigeria conceded in the 0-1 loss in the round of 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations which led to their exit from the tournament, while Uzoho’s gaffe gifted Ghana the goal that helped them pipped Nigeria to the World Cup ticket.

Both goalkeppers have come under serious criticism with many saying they are no where near Enyeama who quit the scene in 2015 after an extraordinary international career which started at the World Cup in 2002.

Enyeama however played down the criticism saying every goalkepper is unique in their own way and his tenure has come and gone. He said finding another goalkepper like him will be difficult as he is different but he did say they can have a better goalkepper in the future.

“I support them and the one thing I will say is Nigerians should know they can never get another Vincent Enyeama”, he told ESPN.

“I know that people are judging them by that standard, but there’s only one Vincent Enyeama, only one version of every player.

“They will have another great goal keeper but not Vincent Enyeama. At some point I was a one man riot squad standing between the other team and goals, sometimes I will make six, seven, eight or nine saves in a match.

“But I was not always like that, and these young boys can get to that stage too, but only if they get the support from Nigerians and from their coaches.”

Former Chelsea defender Celestine Babayaro has criticised Victor Osimhen for replying Victor Ikpeba’s criticism in an insultive manner after Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the World Cup.

Osimhen took exception to Ikepba saying he should have kept it simple rather than go for the spectacular when he had half chances during the crucial world cup playoff game against Ghana in Abuja.

Ikpeba said although he was Nigeria’s best player on the pitch and if Nigeria had three of his type they would have qualified with ease. He however berated his desire to go for an overhead kick in a promising area during the course of the game.

Replying to the words of the former Africa footballer of the year which were made during the show called Monday Night football, Osimhen used a Yoruba proverb to shade him before using same language to call him agbaya which means big fool.

He didn’t stop there, he also said Ikepba can’t tell him what to do and referred him to a pundit with no value by using a post to refer to him as “Pundit Isonu”. Babayaro felt he crossed the line with his words.

“Osimhen can’t say same to any Italian or Napoli legend. It’s because he knows in Nigeria he can get away with anything. He sees himself as the poster boy of the team at the moment hence can do anything. At his age Ikpeba has won several honours”, he told Owngoalnigeria.com.

“What Ikpeba said is even factual. Same show he praised him but the rudeness in him that we have been saying over time on social media didn’t make him acknowledge the praises. He is a rude kid who can’t be controlled by those around him. They are scared of him”, he concluded.

The president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick has bowed to public pressure and will leave his post as president of the football house, OwnGoalNigeria.com understands.

Pinnick said last year that he is open to the idea of staying on as NFF president when his tenure expires in September saying per the status of the football body he is eligible for a third time.

However following the failure of Nigeria to qualify for the world cup in Qatar after the 1-1 draw against Ghana in Abuja, he has now decided to make a u-turn claiming his family isn’t in support of his desire to seek a third term in office.

“I am eligible to run according based on the status. Do I want to run ?, It’s a no no, my family is very key to me , they said it’s taking a toll on me and the family. They believed that I’ve done my best and it’s time to move on . It’s a regrettable decision, but it’s the best”, he told Arise TV.