SKF Sered of Slovakia Nigerian goalkeeper Matthew Yakubu has caught the attention of the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr, Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

A member of the U20 team of Paul Aigbogun, the goalkeeper who will be 21 year old in September has stamped his authority in Slovakia where he is now the first choice goalkeeper of top division side Sered.

Signed after his exploits for Nigeria at the All Africa Games where the Nigerian team finished as silver medalists in the football event he is yet to concede a goal in three games this seasons.

The fact that he has kept in three of the four league games Sered have played this season hasn’t gone unnoticed by Rohr who sees him as an alternative to duo of Daniel Akpeyi and Ikechukwu Ezenwa who are both approaching their mid 30’s.

“ He will be given a chance when the team resume camping for our next international game. Rohr has been impressed with his performance this season and for a goalkeeper to claim the first choice spot in less than six months after his move from Africa tells a lot about his abilities “, a source close to the coach told Owngoalnigeria.com.

Osas Mahawi 

Noah Joel Sarenren Bazee is back in the squad of the senior national team of Nigeria three years after he first trained with the team, owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

The 24 year old was among the players called up for the training camp in Austria this before it was cancelled due to the travel restrictions in some countries owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Barring a late minute injury or fitness issue he is now expected to return to the team when they converge in October for their next engagement which will be a friendly game .

Since joining Augsburg in the German Bundesliga last summer , the 24 year old right winger appears to have buried the ghost of the injury that slowed him down at his previous team Hannover 96.

He ended last season on a high by playing in their last nine games of the season and also scoring once. In total he played ten Bundesliga game as he ease his way back to full fitness.

Coach is the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr is a big fan of the speedy winger hence his decision to invite him immediately he was able to play in nine straight games, something he hasn’t done in three seasons due to persistent injury concerns.

Osas Mahawi 

Victor Osimhen is giving the players and officials of Napoli a whole lot to be positive about ahead of the start of the season with his performance in training.

The 21 year old who scored a hattrick in his first test game for the team following his record transfer from Lille hasn’t slowed down according to his teammate Alex Meret.

Meret says Osimhen scores for fun in all of their training sessions. A sign of how quick he has settled down in his new surrounding ahead of the start of the league in Italy.

“ Victor is feeling at home in Naples. In training he has been scoring frequently. He is already in love with the team and he is a lovely lad so full of smiles”, he said .

21 year old Osimhen heads into the season with Napoli as his third consecutive team since his exit from Wolfsburg and he will be hoping for similar success like the one he enjoyed at Charleroi and Lille respectively before which earned him the move to Napoli.

Ade Emmanuel 

Former FC Porto B teen prospect Fidelis Emmanuel Kuku is few details away from a loan deal to top division Portuguese side Boavista , Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

The 21 year old will join the team on a season long loan deal from second division Portuguese side Vizela with Boavista having the option of making the deal permanent at the end of the season.

A member of the 2017 Nigeria U17 team of Manu Garba , the fleet footed left winger played for the B team of FC Porto two seasons ago from the U19 of Vizela but wasn’t offered a permanent deal at the end of the contract.

He returned to Vizela where after an initial struggle with injuries and fitness he ended the season on a high and subsequently a crack at the top division with Boavista.

Blessed with an uncanny ability to score long range goals, the Kaduna born is expected to have his medically at the club in the coming days as part of the process of joining the team.

Daniel Martins

Nigeria international wing forward Samuel Kalu has agreed a loan move to Fenerbahce of Turkey from French Ligue 1 side Bordeaux, Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Kalu hasn’t had the best is start to the season making two substitutes appearance in Bordeaux’s first two games of the season against Nantes and Angers respectively. A situation which has to do a lot with his fitness after his late return to training, no thanks to the coronavirus infection he suffered upon arrival from holiday in Nigeria.

Last season he didn’t have the best of season and at the start of this season he pushed to leave on loan but a proposed move to Galatasary fell through with Bordeaux insisting on outright sale.

However, the recently turned 23 year old finally got his wish as they have now agree to allow him join Fenerbahce in a deal that will see the Turkish side pay all of his wages and with the option of signing him permanently at the end of his loan.

Daniel Martins

Dutch U21 international forward Joshua Zirkzee says he has not had any talks with the coach of Nigeria about a switch of allegiance to the West African country.

Zirkzee announced himself in a big way with last season by scoring on his debut for the first team of Bayern Munich in their 3-1 win over Freiburg despite playing for just one minute.

He ended the season with four league goals from nine Bundesliga games. A remarkable feat for a player who was playing with the U18s at the start of last season in the 3rd division.

His rise led to rumors of interest from Nigeria who want him to shun the Netherlands where he is a youth international and pledge his international future to the senior national team of Nigeria.

It was reported that the coach of the Nigerian team Gernot Rohr has already approached him but the 19 year old says their is no substance to the story .

“ I have read about it but not a call yet. I am still waiting to hear from them but I have made it known that I want to continue to play for the Netherlands. That’s my goal even though I’m excited about the interest from the country of my father “, he said.

Ade Emmanuel 

Victor Osimhen will have to wait a little longer to get his preferred jersey number at Serie A side Napoli with Fernando Llorente included in the second phase of their pre season camping.

Napoli’s record signing played his first test game for the team in jersey number 15 instead of number 9 which is presently the shirt number of Llorente who is expected to leave the team before the end of the current transfer window in October.

Although the plan is for him to leave before the close of the transfer window but the Spaniard is yet to pick his next destination despite having offers from several names .

He was included in their next phase of camping at Castel di Sangro which will last till the 4th of September meaning Osimhen will have to wait for at least a week before getting the number 9 shirt.

It doesn’t seem to be a problem for the 21 year old as he is in high spirit and focused on proving his money worth. Reports says he won’t even mind continuing with the jersey number 15.

Osas Mahawi 

Modest Slovakia outfit Senica only made the jump to the top division three years ago but this season they have plans of becoming a force to be reckoned with.

After four round of matches where they have picked up just four points , their desire to spring surprises is still intact with the club relying on two of their most important players in Peter Eneji and Tenton Yenne to make an impression.

Eneji 23, who is the most celebrated of the duo following his exploits for Plateau United, the year they won the Nigeria Professional Football League and also made the team of the senior national team of Nigeria to the CHAN Championship hasn’t disappointed since his move.

After a short stint with Trencin , he moved to Senica before the start of last season and ended it with five goals and four assists in 13 games. Most important among his goals was his goal in the 3-1 win against Trencin in the relegation play off to keep Senica in the top division.

On his part 20 year old Tenton hasn’t slowed down at all as he has been ever present in the midfield of the team where he operates as the left winger. He ended last season with five assists and one goal from 26 league games.

Both players haven’t started the season with the way they ended the last one but the club is confident that their presence will no doubt push the team to new unexpected heights this season.

Ade Emmanuel 

Yesterday Portuguese giants FC Porto confirmed the signing of 23 year old Nigerian left back Zaidu Sanusi as first reported by owngoalnigeria.com in June.

Same portal broke the news of his transfer to Gil Vincente of Portugal in 2016 when the left winger turned full back impressed scouts during a scouting event in Kaduna.

Picked from Kebbi State, the then 18 year old represented Mutunchi FC in the mini tournament where he excelled as a left winger and was nicknamed “Gareth Bale”.

He moved to Gil Vincente U19 in a little less than two months after the tournament to kick start his career in a strange country less than three months after leaving his ancestral home of Kebbi State in Nigeria where he works as a farmer in the rice plantation of his father.

“ The only time I get to play football is when we are done with farming. It was leisure to me. Farming was my main thing and my dream was to own a farmland like my father before I was sighted and taken to a team in Kaduna”, Zaidu told Owngoalngeria.com senior editor Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman.

What was supposed to be a dream move turned sour when a mysterious injury struck him about same time when there was a dispute over his ownership between two parties back in Nigeria.

” Shortly after signing for Gil Vicente, we were moved to the youth team with a plan of promoting us to the first team if we impress. We were three that were picked from the scouting event that was held in Kaduna “, he told Mowiz. 

” My case was a bit weird because two people were fighting over my ownership and that caused pressure on my immediate family. It somehow got to me when I suffered a strange injury. When I walk I will be fine but as soon as I step on the pitch to train, I will begin to feel an unusual pain. 

” Scan was done on it and nothing was found‎ to be wrong with me. I spoke with my people back home and was told it’s something to do with what we call ‘juju’. Some form of spiritual attack and that they are going to pray about it for me and that they did and it worked “, he concluded. 

That injury cost him time at the club and upon his recovery he was loaned out to third division side Mirandela to help him get game time in order to build up his fitness.

At Mirandela , Zaidu who back then doesn’t speak a word of English or Portuguese but instead his native Hausa had to combine his career with doing house help services in order to make ends meet.

“ Things were really tough and there is the pressure to send money home. I decided to work part time in a house to raise money for myself and my family while I continue to push for a breakthrough. I was determined to make it instead of returning back to Nigeria “.

His determination paid off two years later when Mirandela signed him on a free transfer and he immediately begin to show his worth with string of impressive performances following his conversation from a left winger to a left back.

“ The year 2018 was supposed to be a very tough year for me but Allah made it easy for me. I was released by Gil Vicente and Mirandela where I have played for two years on loan offered me a one year deal.

“ I sparingly play at left back the previous season but when I was signed permanently the coach told me he sees me as left back or central defender and not as a winger”.

That year was the turning point in his career as he excelled and caught the eyes of Santa Clara after a Portuguese Cup game against the top division team. He was signed at the end of the season as a free player after the end of his one year deal at Mirandela.

It took him a while to get going at Santa Clara after making the big jump from third division to first division but it didn’t take too long for him to settle as he picked up three man is the match award in his first eight games of the season.

By the turn of the year, he was snapped up by the player agency of football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, He was recommended to the CEO of the team Jorge Mendez by a former player of Santa Clara who works for the agent.

Yesterday he completed a remarkable rise from the third division to FC Porto in three years and if there’s one thing he won’t be scared of it is competition for spots as he has fought and won numerous battles on his way to the top.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman 

Less than 48 hours after sealing a €12 million move to CSKA Moscow, Chidera Ejuke was handed his debut as they ran out 3-0 winners over Akhmat Grozny.

Ejuke was handed his debut coming in as a substitute after 65 minutes and he immediately got on the act with his trademark dribbling which made him a big hit at Dutch side Heerenveen.

He was on the pitch when CSKA Moscow scored their other two goals but despite seeing most of the ball he wasn’t involved in any of the goal scored by his team who were just too strong for their opponent.

Just like it was during his time in the Netherlands, a cross section of the fans were unhappy with his dribbling even when a pass would have been better but others were impressed with the way he glide past his opponents.

The one area of his game he need to balance is to find a balance between dribbling and passing in key moments during games as it is part of the reason why his goal count isn’t as high as it is suppose to be.

Osas Mahawi