The representative of Porto left back Zaidu Sanusi has given reasons why coach of FC Porto Sergio Conceicao stopped the Nigerian from joining Turkish side Fenerbahce.

Zaidu has fallen down the pecking order at Porto and after failing to agree on a loan move to West Ham in the last day of the transfer window in England, a move to Fenerbahce was mooted.

Talks were held between both clubs with the representative of the player also keen on the move to happen base on the wish of the player but the move was vetoed at the end by the coach of Porto.

Explaining, the representative told this portal that it was a decision which came as a shock to all parties involved as the coach has earlier given his green light for the move to happen. He however said he gave a valid reason why he stopped the move.

“ When we got the message that the coach want him to stay. It came unexpected as we thought he( Zaidu) was one foot out of the club. He made it clear that Zaidu is part of his plans and Wendell the new left back isn’t coming to take his spot”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

“ He explained how he believe the competition for a starting berth will improve Zaidu in the long run. He was also clear that he sees Ivo Marcano as a centre back even though he has played him more as a left back recently.

“ It’s a fresh start for Zaidu and he has to pick up pace again to make the spot his like it has always been. He is up for the challenge and hopefully he will triumph”.

Luciano Spalleti has leaped to the defence of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen following a wave of criticism from fans of Napoli after his poor performance in their 2-1 win over Juventus.

The Nigerian was largely anonymous during the course of the game and it left fans of the team who were delighted at his return from a ban for the game frustrated.

Many felt he shouldn’t have lasted till the time he was subbed off for Andrea Petagna which was at the end of regulation time before the commencement of five minutes time added on.

Spalleti was asked after the game what he think was responsible for the poor showing of the Nigerian and he said it was due to fatigue as he didn’t arrive Italy in time for the game after the international break.

The coach explained that prior to the game, he requested to have some sleep and he was granted his wish and he didn’t wake up until the morning of the game “ We sent him to bed at 6pm and he only woke up this morning. This means that he hasn’t quite had a rest. He will be back at his best soon”, he said.

Sunday Oliseh’s time as coach of the senior national team of Nigeria has been described as a disaster by a player who was a part of the team.

Oliseh was appointed as coach of the Nigerian team in 2015 succeeding Stephen Keshi as coach of the team after failure to qualify for the defence of their Africa Cup of Nations title won in 2013.

Eight months into his three years contract he quit the job citing contract violations, unpaid wages and lack of support from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as his reason.

He quit the team when they were about to face Egypt in back to back AFCON qualifiers which will determine their qualification for the 2017 tournament with Nigeria two points behind. Under caretaker manager Samson Siasia they failed to qualify for the second consecutive tournament.

A player in that team said the fear of not qualifying and subsequently getting the sack made him quit and not his claims as mentioned above describing his time as coach of the team as a disaster.

“ It was from one fight to another. Clashing with players in the team and calling them names in the face of all during training. Mikel Obi, Taiye Taiwo, Elderson Echijiele, Vincent Enyeama and Emmanuel Emenike. It was a disaster”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

“ He did a video where he insulted all Nigerian journalists and his former teammates. The environment was toxic. Some players who were part of his time as coach said Gernot Rohr is still cleaning up the mess till date. It was a crazy time”.

Andrea D’Amico one of the agents who had a hand in the transfer of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen from Lille to Napoli says some certain elements want the forward to be seen as a bad boy.

Osimhen’s reputation came under scrutiny when he was sent off In Napoli’s first game of the season against Venezia for allegedly hitting an opponent violently.

The forward was initially handed a two match ban which was later reduced to one after a successful appeal making him free to play in this weekend game against Juventus.

Reacting to the incident, D’Amico told Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli that he feels there is a ploy to make referees, opponents and even sport writers see the forward as someone with a questionable character.

“I’m glad that the ban on Osimhen was reduced . His absence deprived the match of a footballer who can contribute to the show. His reactions are the result of sporting provocations or excessive competition. They’re giving him a label he doesn’t deserve “, he said.

“It’s just a pity Osimhen does not have the opportunity, like Napoli, to show off in an important showcase such as the Champions League. I didn’t hear from Victor because he is involved in Africa with his national team “

Leicester City head coach Brendan Rodgers has explained why Kelechi Iheanacho isn’t a regular at the team despite ending last season on a high.

The Nigerian finished as the top scorer of the Foxes last season by making the most of the absence of Harvey Barnes and James Maddison. He struck a deadly combination with Jamie Vardy in attack and it delivered their first ever FA Cup trophy.

This season with both players back from the injury that saw them missed games last season and the signing of Patson Daka, the Nigerian has once again dropped to the bench in the first few games of the season.

Explaining the reason behind the substitute role of the forward who scored both goals for Nigeria in their 2-0 World Cup qualifiers win, Rodgers said it’s a combination of several factors with team balance at the peak of his decision.

“We’ve got lots of good players but you have to find the right balance in the team,” Rodgers said.

Head coach of Cape Verde Pedro ‘Bubista’ Leitao has blamed Covid 19 as part of the reasons why his team were beaten by the senior national team of Nigeria in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

The coach saw his team took a shock lead but it was cancelled by Nigeria who went on to win 2-1 go top of the group with maximum points from their first two games of the qualifiers.

Explaining the defeat, Bubista who insist his team shouldn’t be criticized for the defeat to Nigeria as they are not on the level of the Super Eagles, explained that the coronavirus pandemic didn’t help his plans ahead of the game.

Speaking on the bizarre own goal Kenny Rocha Santos which handed Nigeria the winner, the coach said it’s something that do happen urging his players to move on from the defeat and focus on other games in the qualifiers series.

Nigeria international Alex Iwobi has admitted that there are areas in his game that he need to improve on if he wants to reach the peak of his career.

Iwobi joined Everton two summers ago from Arsenal but he has struggled to nail down a spot in his preferred role in midfield. Aside that he hasn’t quite justify the heavy investment on him by the club.

However he seems to be on the right track this season with a goal and two assists to his name already. A form which he says is down to the confidence he has received from his new coach Rafa Benitez.

“It’s not just me, of course, but the whole team [he speaks to]. My confidence is playing a big part, too. I’m pushing a bit more up the field and getting involved in attacks”, he told Everton TV.

“I just need to add more goals and assists, like the manager wants. With the manager, he doesn’t give us any rest, he’s onto us 24/7. This is what we need.

“You can see everyone’s playing with a lot of confidence. That big motivation is there [to continue achieving positive results]. We’ve started off very well, but we have to keep going until the end. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

The Nigerian was rumored to be on his way out of the club following the arrival of Demarai Gray and Androos Townsend. He has however taken their presence as a tonic to bring out the best in him.

“It’s healthy competition and we [the forwards] always say to each other, ‘We have to try to improve our stats and get involved with goals’,” Iwobi said of his side’s new arrivals.

“For me, it’s about working on my play in the final third, whether it’s a cross or a finish. All the attackers are the same…we’re always working and doing extras with that.

The international future of Crystal Palace duo Michael Olise and Ebere Eze lies away from the senior national team of Nigeria, the coach Gernot Rohr has hinted.

Both players have at some stage of their career held talks about committing their international future to Nigeria with Olise even getting a call up, where he was placed on standby for the last round of games for the AFCON qualifiers.

Eze on his part trained with the Super Eagles in 2017 when they held a training camp in England but has since decided on pledging his future to England where he is currently part of their U21.

Fresh from back to back wins in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Rohr revealed at the moment he isn’t thinking about holding talks with any player over committing their international future to Nigeria.

He said he is focused on working with the players he has now to achieve the goal of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup and also for the Africa Cup of Nations in January next year.

“ At the moment we have a team that can help us achieve our goal. That’s the target and not speaking with players over playing for Nigeria. If they want to play for us they will have to reach out to us and also be ready to fight for a shirt”, he said when asked about the duo of Olise and Eze.

He also hard near same words for Cologne right full back Kingsley Ehizibue who was also invited at some point but couldn’t honour the issue due to passport issues.

“ He will have to let go of his Dutch citizenship if he gets a Nigerian passport. He is not qualify to have dual nationality so that is a decision for him to make. Also the case with another player. So we can have them in our plans”, he concluded.

Nigeria international defender Chidozie Awaziem will spend the rest of the season on loan to Turkish top division side Alanyaspor, OwnGoalNigeria.com understands.

The Turkish side have reached an agreement with Boavista to have the defender on a season long loan deal which was brokered by Italian agent Antonio Gialloreto.

We gathered Boavista who only recently made him their most expensive player in history had to send him out on loan as they will face difficulties in meeting up with the wages contained in his deal.

Only yesterday he posted a man is the match performance for Nigeria as they pick up a 2-1 win away to Cape Verde in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers to stay top of their group.

He saw late move to French Ligue 1 side collapse due to personal terms and many expect him to stay at Boavista after a fine start to the season. It will be his second stint in Turkey after a spell with Rizespor in 2019.

Fans of the national team of Cape Verde are refusing to accept that the winning goal in the Super Eagles 2-1 win over in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers wasn’t ordinary.

With scores at 1-1, a bizarre own goal by Kenny Rocha Santos in the 76th minute ended as the winner for Nigeria, who had to come from behind thanks to Victor Osimhen’s 29th minute strike which cancelled out Dylan Tavares scored ten minutes earlier.

Fans of the team while reacting to the loss told a local radio station in Cape Verde that some sort of witchcraft was at work and it aided the winner by triggering the own goal.

“ How can you explain that a player will play a long ball over the head of his goalkeeper under no pressure. We see these things in Nigerian movies. It’s witchcraft”, he said.

Backing his claim, another caller said the manner of the goal and the player involved is a proof that there is more to it than what meets the eye “ Santos hardly pass the ball backward. So what made him do it? Must be some forces outside the pitch. You see them in Nigerian movies “, he concluded.