Relegated German Bundesliga side Paderborn says it will cost €10 million to secure the service of Nigeria international left back Jamilu Collins.

The 26 year old is keen on a move away following the relegation of Paderborn but interested teams have been put off by Cologne’s asking price.

Werder Bremen were the front runners for his signature but there interest has gone cold largely due to the asking price of Paderborn despite the fact that they have signed his replacement.

23 year old German-Nigerian defender Chima Okoroji has joined them on loan from Freiburg as they brace up for the exit of the Nigerian who made 30 appearances and scored once last season.

The hard stance of Paderborn is a surprise considering the fact that he has just one year left on his deal and will be free to negotiate with other teams in six months time ahead of a move as a free agent.

Daniel Martins

The list of the Super Eagles players for upcoming friendly games against Tunisia and Côte d’Ivoire respectively in Austria will be released later today, owngoalnigeria.com exclusively gathered.

Already coach of the team Gernot Rohr has submitted it to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and it will be made public soon. The list has in it four players born abroad according to NFF sources.

More details soon…

A cross section of players of the senior national team of Nigeria have voiced their opinion on a potential return of Victor Moses to the team.

Moses quit the team in 2018 after the World Cup in Russia. A move which came as a surprise as he was still only 27 years old and played a pivotal part in helping the team put behind the disappointment of missing out on two consecutive Africa Cup of Nations.

In his absence the like of Moses Simon, Samuel Chukwueze, Samuel Kalu and Henry Onyekuru have stepped into the role he vacated in 2018. Chidera Ejuke is also now in the frame to also challenge for the spot.

There are talks of the Chelsea winger staging a comeback to the team with some top shots in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) behind the move. Moses is said to be considering a change of mind as well.

Four players of the Super Eagles told Owngoalnigeria.com in separate discussion that the team is better off without the 29 year old who usually isolates himself from the rest of the squad.

“ On the pitch he is brilliant but off it he is not someone that anybody is close to. He tends to go into his shell and that affected lot of young players in the team as he is seen as a senior player who should motivate them”, one of them told Owngoalnigeria.com.

Another one said if he returns it will obstruct the rhythm of the team as they have since move on without Moses. According to him the options available now are about same level as the Chelsea man.

“ Moses will no doubt improve any team he plays in but at the moment we have options in his positions who have already settled into the team. If he returns it will disrupt the harmony on and off the pitch as he has been away for two years”, he said.

The sentiments of the above two was also echoed by three other players who spoke with this portal on reports on a return to the Super Eagles for the AFCON 2013 winner.

For the fourth game running since announcing his return to full fitness, the first choice goalkeeper of the senior national team of Nigeria Francis Uzoho wasn’t selected by Apoel Nicosia.

Uzoho was not in the squad that secured a 4-1 win over Kaisar Kyzylorda to seal their progress to the next round of the Europa League. The duo of Miguel Silva and Dimitrios Priniotaki were the preferred option as first and second choice respectively.

His absence means the last time he was involved in a competitive game was on the 15th of October last year when he kept goal for Nigeria in the 1-1 draw against Brazil. A game which saw him picked up the injury that sidelined him for six months.

Three weeks ago he announced his return to full training and even posted pictures of test games in training where his team emerged victorious but he still hasn’t keep goal in any of their last four games in all competitions.

Highly rated Crystal Palace midfielder Ebere Eze was tipped as the man to watch in the Carabao Cup game between Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.

From a Nigerian angle it was a case of how Nigeria U20 midfielder Nmandi Ofoborh will fare against Eze who shunned the chance to represent Nigeria in favor of England.

The game ended 0-0 but Bournemouth triumphed on penalties with Ofoborh taking one of the spot kicks that earned his side the win and progress to the next round of the tournament.

During the course of the game, Ofoborh who is a midfielder started as party of a back five and showed the composure that made him a hit with Wycombe Wanderers in the English League One.

In the second half of the game he operated as wing back before reverting to a full back and he put up a performance which left everyone surprise. A sign of how well he has improved thanks to the loan spell he had at Wycombe where he helped them to promotion to the Championship.

While Ofoborh put a gallant display. Same can’t be said about Eze who was off colour and also guilty of losing possession in key areas. He was far away from his best when he glides past players with ease.

On the strength of his performance, he has a lot to do if he want to cement his place in the midfield of Crystal Palace in future games of the season.

Michael James

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have moved two spots in the latest rankings released by world football governing body FIFA.

Nigeria moved from the 31st position to number 29 in the latest ranking and in the process become the third best team in Africa with only Senegal and Tunisia rated higher.

Senegal still remain the number one in Africa in 20th position in the world while Tunisia are in 26th. Algeria, Morocco and Ghana complete the top five in Africa.

The latest rankings placed Nigeria ahead of Serbia, Turkey, Russia, Romania and Czech Republic. Countries viewed by many as better than Nigeria in global football.

A chance to go ahead of Tunisia is also on the menu for Nigeria if they are able to beat the Carthage Eagles in next month friendly which will be played in Austria on the 9th of October precisely.

Since the appointment of Gernot Rohr as coach Nigeria have moved up the rankings steadily thanks to the good results they have been enjoying since he was contracted in 2016.

Ade Emmanuel

Alex Iwobi was surprisingly missing in the squad of Everton in their 3-0 win over Salford City in the Carabao Cup with rumors having it that he has been told he can leave the club in this transfer window.

Iwobi who was a record buy from Arsenal last summer was also not listed for action last weekend when they secure a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in their opening English Premier League fixture.

Explaining the absence of Iwobi from the two games the Carlo Ancelotti tutored side have played this season, a member of his representative told Owngoalnigeria.com that he is out with a knock picked up in training.

“ He is injures at moment. A minor injury but it stopped him from training the past few days so it won’t be wise to put him in the line up for the Carabao Cup game. He will get games as he is highly rated by Ancelotti”, he said.

“ No substance to the report that he has been told he can leave. Some of the players mentioned are still at the club and some even played in the win over Salford City. That should tell you a lot”.

Michael James

FC Midtjylland Nigerian midfielder Frank Onyeka showed his importance to the Danish side with a man of the performance to help his team to a 3-0 win in the Europa League.

The 22 year old who has almost same qualities as Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester City was at the heart of the midfield breaking up play and initiating attack for his team.

He picked up a yellow card in the 41st minute but overall he was solid as he has been all season long for the Danish side and that has led to talks of a move away from the team.

He is among the players pencilled down for further scouting by coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr following positive reviews from the press in Denmark.

A price tag of €10 million has been placed on him by the Danish side as they bid to make the most of his new found form and reputation as one of the best defensive midfielders in the country.

The most successful team in the history of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Nigeria could be ban from the next two editions of the tournament if they fail to provide a team for the qualifiers.

Nigeria is in West Africa Zone B (WAFU-UFOA B) alongside Ghana, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Niger Republic and host of the qualifiers tournament Benin Republic. Nigeria won the last edition held in Niger Republic.

The tournament was originally scheduled to take place in September but it was shifted by a month due to the coronavirus pandemic that brought about lockdown in several countries.

It will now run from the 17th to 31st of October but while other teams have commenced preparations, the U17 team of Nigeria is presently without a coach hence no team on ground.

Since the expiration of the contract of former coach Manu Garba and his crew after the 2019 U17 World Cup, no coach has been appointed to steer the team for the qualifiers where only the champions qualify for the Africa U17 Cup of Nations which serves as qualifiers for the World Cup.

A member of CAF tournament committee told Owngoalnigeria.com that Nigeria will be expelled from the next two editions of the tournament if they don’t present a team according to the rules of the tournament.

According to him unless they officially communicate their withdrawal from the tournament then it’s inevitable that they will be banned as all member nations have been made aware of the new date.

Nigeria have won the U17 World Cup more than any team in the history of the tournament with five wins but unless they raise a team in the next one month they won’t be participating in the qualifiers.

Ade Emmanuel

Captain of the senior national team of Nigeria Ahmed Musa has taken his desire of leaving Saudi Arabia side Al Nassr to another level after informing the management of the team that he wants to leave.

Musa made his stand known to the team two days back and was subsequently left out of the team that played in yesterday’s AFC Champions League game against Sepahan of Iran that ended 2-0 in favor of Al Nassr.

Reports has it that while Musa is keen on a return to Europe where some teams are indicated their interest in signing him on loan, Al Nassr want him to join another team in Saudi Arabia in Al Ahli.

The standoff can be seen in his game as the 27 years old has only scored twice this season. A sign of how unhappy he is at the Saudi Arabia side where he earns close to $300, 000 a week.

His representatives proposed terminating his contract which has two more years to run but it was outrightly rejected by the Saudi outfit. They are demanding a loan fee of €5 million plus having a team that will foot his wages totally.

Both parties are still in talks with Musa not shifting grounds on his desire to leave the team before the end of the ongoing transfer window in October. He is already back in Nigeria despite his team’s involvement in the AFC Champions League.

Daniel Martins