Ahead of today’s Serie A game against Napoli, coach of Bologna Sinisa Mihajlovic says Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen is playing a bigger role in deciding the title race than Romelu Lukaku did last season with Inter Milan.

Inter Milan broke Juventus stronghold on the legaue title by winning it last season with many praising the goal contribution of Belgian forward Lukaku in the run up to the title.

Unbeaten in their first eight games of the season which includes seven wins, Osimhen has been pivotal in that run with five goals which includes a late winner against Torino. His form in front of goal has dominated discussion in Italy.

Despite firing blanks against Roma last weekend, Mihajlovic whose team will be up against the Nigerian later today warned the rest of the league teams that the Nigerian carries more threat than Lukaku did when he helped tilt the Serie A title in favour of Inter Milan.

On Napoli, do you agree if I say that Osimhen is shifting the balance like Lukaku last year?, the coach was asked ahead of today’s game.

“Even more. What do they eat in Naples? It seems that he has a scooter. He is ignorant, but in the good sense of the word: he runs, opens the game, restarts, scores. He is strong, I didn’t expect so much. But it’s true. who also paid 70 million for it “.

Union Berlin forward Taiwo Awoniyi was once again on target for German Bundesliga side Union Berlin to save them from what would have been a potential shock exit in the German Cup.

Awoniyi scored the second goal of a hard fought 3-1 win over SV Waldhof in the DFB-Pokal cup with coach of the Nigerian team Gernot Rohr among the spectators at the stadium.

Chidera Ejuke is finally proving right the decision of CSKA Moscow to splash a record transfer fee of over €11m to sign him from Dutch side Heerenveen two summers ago.

The Nigerian struggled in his first season at the club often guilty of holding onto possession unnecessarily which most times killed the team’s attack especially when they want to play on the break.

All of that has changed now under new coach Alexey Berezutskiy, who gave specific instructions to the winger and it has so far resulted in three goals in his last four games. Four in 12 games with two assists this season keeping him on course for his most productive season at the club.

Speaking on the transformation in the way the Nigerian play, goalkepper Igor Akinfeev narrowed it down to his good relationship with the players around him and also his ability to track back and help the team in defending.

“Chidi really improved in many components,” Akinfeev confirmed. – He began to interact much better with Oblyakov, with Zabolotny, with other players. I would like to note that Ejuke also improved in defensive actions, I also consider this moment very important ”.

Known for his dribbling abilities, in September he was rated the best in the league in that regard by Opta with 26 successful attempts five times more than any other player in the league and in the process claimed the award of the club’s player of the month for the second time in a row.

However that ability of his was worked into a more productive spell by the words of coach Berezutskiy who gave specific instructions to the Nigerian to only weave his tricks around the box and not in the centre of the pitch, where the team could be punished if he loses possession.

Also he was told to drift into the middle from his position on the left and it has become one of the strong attacking point of the team as it affords him the chance to move into empty zone, which means he doesn’t need to use his speed or dribbling abilities and it affords him more chance to get a shot at goal.

At 23 years of age, he will likely be on his way out of the league if he sustains or improve on his current form which has also help him cement a spot in the squad of the senior national team of Nigeria.

Victor Osimhen’s big money move to Napoli is currently under investigation by the anti graft agency of the Italian government owing to discrepancies in the figures quoted.

The Nigerian joined Napoli on a deal valued at €71.25m, according to the report, with Orestis Karnezis, Claudio Manzi, Ciro Palmieri and Luigi Liguori going in the opposite direction for a total of €20.13m.

Palmieri and Liguori have then returned to Italy and are now playing for Nocerina and Afragolese respectively. Both clubs are in Serie D, Italy’s fourth division.

COVISOC has informed the FIGC of possible capital gains by inflated valuations, highlighting, among others, Victor Osimhen’s move from LOSC Lille to Napoli and Juventus’ exchange deal with Barcelona for Arthur Melo.

Reports have emerged regarding a possible transfer scandal in Serie A, as COVISOC has flagged 62 suspicious transfers, which ended up at the FIGC Prosecutor’s Office.

Capital gains through exchange deals have been discussed in recent years, due to the difficulty of establishing a precise market value for players who are included in swap deals.

The father of one of Germany hottest prospect Karim Adeyemi says he dreamt of his son playing for the senior national team of Nigeria during th formative years of football career.

Abbey Adeyemi who shared pictures of his son playing street football in Nigeria on his personal Instagram handle said he raised his children in the Nigerian way and was hoping it will make the 18 year old play for Nigeria when he decides on his international future.

That didn’t happened as he hoped with Adeyemi progressing through the ranks to a presently player of the senior national team, a rise which Abbey admits he couldn’t influenced out of respect for the wish of his son.

” He grew to the senior national team of Germany and that’s why he is playing for them at senior level. It’s the only national team he has played for in his career so he has his sights on the senior team right from when he went up to the U20s. I have to respect his decision even though I wished he played for Nigeira”, Abbey said.

“I raised my children in the Nigerian culture which I was hoping will make Karim consider Nigeria but it’s his career and I can only respect his decision. It’s fine as he is doing well with Germany”.

Despite having what sources described as highly successful talks with 17 year old Hoffenheim wonder kid Uche Destiny Obiogumu, Gernot Rohr is still on the look out for more options in the Super Eagles number ten role.

The coach believe a number ten who can pierce open defences with well weighted passes will push the team towards their set goals as it will liberate the forward players led by Victor Osimhen into getting more goals for the team.

Even though he sees Obiogumu as a sold prospect who is ready for senior international football, he still has his sights on other players for extensive scouting according to a source close to the German coach.

” Obiogumu is one among the eight players listed for extensive scouting but there is a buzz around him because he left a positive impression on Rohr with his display and he also has rave reviews submitted on him by respected contacts of the coach”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” A natural number ten will take this team to the next level. Rohr sees it as the catalyst to fire the strikers especially Osimhen into scoring goals. Unfortunately Nigeria have few numbers of such players both home and abroad. Rohr is working to get the best”, he concluded.

Spartak Moscow of Russia winger Victor Moses has turned down the chance of returning back to the senior national team of Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Moses quit international football shortly after the World Cup 2018 to focus on his club career as he was back then aiming to cement his spot in the team of Chelsea under then coach Maurizio Sarri.

Now playing regularly in Russia he was approached by the coach of the Nigerian team Gernot Rohr on rescinding his decision to quit international football and help the team out in the World Cup qualifiers but he declined.

The 29 year old told the coach that the team has options in his position who are doing very well for their clubsides in Europe hence doesn’t think he is needed in the team.

He believe with proper encouragement, the wingers in the team at the moment will deliver owing to the fact that they are delivering with their clubsides in Europe.

At the moment, the team has Moses Simon, Chidera Ejuke, Samuel Kalu and Samuel Chukwueze on the wings as they shape up for the crucial part of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Al Shabab forward Odion Ighalo who has been linked with a return to the senior national team of Nigeria as said by NFF president Amaju Pinnick and confirmed by coach Gernot Rohr has made his view on the issue known.

The top scorer in the Saudi Arabia league with 8 goals from nine games is under pressure from the aforementioned duo to stage a comeback to the team after announcing his retirement from international football in 2019.

Shortly after finishing as top scorer at the last Africa Cup of Nations, Ighalo announced he will be ending his international career but the past few days has been most about the desire of Pinnick and Rohr to have him back in the team.

Few months ago, same question on a potential return to the team was put before Ighalo and his response was that he isn’t thinking about a change of mind now but he could in the future.

He said the fine form of Napoli forward Victor Osimhen and others strikers available to Rohr is part of why he isn’t keen on a return as he believed with proper encouragement they will deliver.

” We have a young sqaud, we need your experience and all that we are even playing young Osimhen up front. I said coach I understand but I just want to respect my decision. Watching the team from afar.

“Supporting them and they are doing so well. Osimhen is scoring goals both for the country and for his club. The young guys are doing well. So you just have to encourage them to keep doing well”, he said in an interview two months ago.

However he credited Rohr for talking him out of international retirement in 2018 following harsh criticism from a section of the Nigerian team over a chance he missed in the World Cup game against Argentina, which Nigeria lost 1-2 to crash out of the tournament.

He claimed his family were subjected to death threats aside threats to burn his house and kill his children. Rohr was however able to talk him out of it and he is presently mulling over the latest request from the coach.

“Me and Rohr we talk almost every day and even yesterday he congratulated me on the two years anniversary of my orphanage. We talk every time. Coach Gernot Rohr is like a father to me. He brought me back after what happened at the World Cup. I said no I’m not going to play for the national team. It’s 100 percent because of him that I came.

“He convinced me, talked to me said he knows I’m not fairly criticised the way people are talking about me. He want me to come back and prove them wrong. I know you are a good striker, you are a good person. I know the support you give to the team. All what you doing for the team and more . He said apart from the football I want you to come back. I am a professional, I get criticised everytime.

” I take it because this is my job but don’t go beyond criticism. Threatening my family, calling my little kids bastard saying you going to kill my kids. You are going to burn my house and all that is beyond football. So I said no what am I gaining?

“Even the club don’t even want me to go to the national team because they are paying me more than what I’m getting wkyh the national team but it’s your country. It’s a pride for me anytime I am being called up. Sometimes I just want to leave the next day. Even when we have a game by the weekend.

“I just want the game to be over so I can move and play for Nigeria. It’s a privilege that is why I always come not because I gain anything from if money wise. So I have been in contact with him. He always talk to me saying he wants me to come. I said coach I’m not thinking about that for now but we will see in the future”.

Coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr is behind the push for Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia forward Odion Ighalo to return to the Super Eagles, OwnGoalNigeria.com reveals.

The forward announced his retirement from international football after finishing as top scorer at the 2019 Africa Cup Of Nations, one year after he was largely criticised for Nigeria’s failure at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Rohr has been pushing for him to return back to team and few months ago , he explained the reason why he is keen on having the forward back despite the fact the present first choice striker Victor Osimhen isn’t doing badly.

According to Rohr, the team have a host of inexperience players in attack and Ighalo will add experience to the attack. He explained that his return to the team will help the young strikers behind Osimhen to fluorish.

“He is still very fit and he is playing regularly for his new club in Saudi Arabia Al Shabab, it’s a big club. There is no reason not to take him in the Super Eagles if he is doing well. Ahmed Musa was also with us when he played in Saudi Arabia. The question is does he want to come back?, Rohr said.

“We hope so because he is an experience player, we have a young team and he can be very useful to his partners, strikers to help them to develop and to come back and score goal for us. We are waiting for that but at first he has to play now”.

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr has settled for talented Hoffenheim 17 year old Nigerian Uche Destiny Obiogumu as the man to fill the creative midfielder void in the Super Eagles.

Rohr has been on the look out for a creative midfielder for the Nigerian team as he believe that will help the team to become better equipped for their set goals at continental and international levels.

The coach was invited by coach of Hoffenheim to watch Uche play for the U19 team against Bayern Munich and he left a positive impression on the Nigerian coach with his ability to pick passes in tight areas.

In the game watched by Rohr over the weekend, Obiogumu got a goal in the game that ended in a 1-1 draw to take his season tally to five with five assists in seven games in the Bundesliga U19 league.

Born in Nigeria but left at the age of 5, he isn’t going to be needing a switch of nationality process as he hasn’t played for any national team of Germany.

We gathered he was pleased to meet Rohr who sees him as ready for senior national team football despite the fact that he is yet to make his first team bow with Hoffenheim.