28 year old former Nigeria U23 striker Odah Onoriode Marshal has joined top division Israeli side Hapoel Hadera on a free transfer, owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

The well travelled forward put pen to paper on a deal with the top division side to end his search for a new club following his departure from Iraq side Naft Al Wasat SC in January.

Odah who plays primarily as a striker had a stint in Egypt where he played for Enppi and Ismaily after leaving Nigeria Professional League side Rivers United in 2017.

Quick and strong in duels , he signed a one year deal with the option of another year base on certain variables agreed with his representatives and the club prior to his signing.

Hapoel Hadera will be hoping he fires with his goals to a position higher on the league table than how they finished last term out where they placed 9th.

Heartland FC of Owerri goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa won’t be a part of the Super Eagles squad for their upcoming friendly games in September, owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Nigeria have lined up a training camp in Austria where they are expected to play two friendly games if FIFA permits national teams to return to football following its suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Already coach of the team Gernot Rohr has drawn up a list of players who will take part in the camp and in the friendly games if they go ahead as planned.

One name that has been taken out of the list is that of Heartland goalkeeper Ezenwa who hasn’t played a minute of football since March when football activities were halted in Nigeria.

The trio of Daniel Akpeyi, Maduka Okoye and Francis Uzoho who are back to playing football at their various clubs abroad were picked by the coach for the camp .

Ade Emmanuel

Coach of the Nigeria U17 team of 2013 Manu Garba says his major disappointment in his title winning squad is the trio of Isaac Success and Musa Yahaya.

Garba said he expected the trio to be integral players of the senior national team of Nigeria hence his disappointment at their progress since giving them their breakthrough at the U17 World Cup seven years ago.

The coach said the trio have not been lucky with senior football at club level and that has affected their chances with the senior national team of Nigeria after playing for the U17 and U20.

Yahaya hasn’t made the step up to the first team of Porto from the B team where he has spent the last three seasons while Success has failed to light it up since his move to Watford from Granada three years ago.

The captain of Garba’s U17 and U20 team Musa played three games for the senior national team of Nigeria but has been in the cooler no thanks to his patchy form at club level following a move to Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir in 2015.

“ I am happy for all the players I have handled who are earning a living from football but some should have progressed beyond where they are now at the moment”, the coach told Owngoalnigeria.com

“ Isaac Success, Musa Yahaya and Musa Mohammed have not made the kind of step up I expect from them but they are still young and they will likely come good in the career. That’s my prayer for them”.

Osas Mahawi

Former Nigeria U17 coach Emmanuel Amuneke has lifted the lid on his relationship with two of the players he discovered as coach of the Nigerian U17 team who have since gone ahead to blossom with their senior career.

Amuneke was coach of the Nigeria U17 team of 2015 that swept all comers to lift the Under-17 World Cup with the duo of Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze among the star act in the team.

However while Chukwueze is still in touch with the coach who gave them their big break in football same can’t be said about Osimhen who hasn’t spoken with the coach since 2018.

“Well it has been long…I dont have his contacts. I think the last time I spoke with Osimhen, if I am not mistaken is 2018, then I was in spain and he was in Wolfsberg. I spoke and encouraged him. That was the last time we spoke. And like I said I wish them well”, Amuneke told Kingsley Ediale of nationaldailyng.com.

“It’s only Chukwueze that I communicate with most of the time. He sends me messages, I reply. Where I need to chip in advice I do. However I wish all of them success and that’s  the most important thing. And my prayer is to see them go beyond what we have done as players”.

Despite the snub the former Barcelona left footed ace who last handled the national team of Tanzania is full of praise for the new Napoli record signing describing him as a player who has the ability to be one of the best in his position.

“One thing about Victor is he is a player that likes to win. That wants to play. He doesnt like losing. He is always ready for challenges. I knew he was going to make it. The issue now is people around him. What kind of direction, what kind of advice are they given him. Because football in Africa, when everything is going well for you, everybody is your friend” said Amuneke.

Ade Emmanuel 

Former Super Eagles left back Celestine Babayaro says Napoli’s new boy Victor Osimhen is not at same level with Leicester City Kelechi Iheanacho when it comes to goals scoring.

While speaking on the luxury of having both strikers , Babayaro said the duo are both different type of players who can play at the same time pending on the style

the coach wants to play.

Iheanacho was the first choice striker of the Super Eagles in the early days of Rohr as coach but a massive dip in form saw him miss out of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations with Victor Osimhen, Odion Ighalo and Paul Onuachu getting the nod as strikers for the tournament.

The retirement of Ighalo saw Rohr settle for Osimhen as top striker but Iheanacho’s return to form at Leicester City could mean a recall for the striker which will ignite a battle for the top striker’s position although Iheanacho can play behind the striker .

“ I will go for Iheanacho when you talking about taking chances. He is more clinically than Osimhen. The one thing I like about Osimhen is that he hardly give defenders the chance to rest. He is always pressing them to make mistakes and his hold up play has improved greatly”, he told Owngoalnigeria.com.

“ Osimhen’s style makes him more deadly. He is like Jamie Vardy at Leicester City they chase everything in sight. Ironically Vardy plays with Iheanacho at Leicester City so that too can happen with Osimhen in the national team if the coach deems it fit to play a two man attack”.

Ade Emmanuel 

Former golden boy of Nigerian football Macauley Chrisantus says the fake news from the Nigerian media on his age played a role in frustrating his career.

Chrisantus finished as top scorer at the 2007 U17 World Youth Championship and subsequently secured a big money move to Hamburg of Germany but till date that team remains the biggest he has played for.

Speaking to Owngoalnigeria.com, the now 29 years old who is on the books of Saudi Arabia side Hetten FC said ten years ago he missed out on a big move away from Hamburg because of a malicious report on various Nigerian news outlet.

“ I was badly hit by a fake news on my age by an aggrieved former agent of mine and it went viral. He paid people to smear my name and that cost me a big move that would have launched my career ten years ago”, Chrisantus told Owngoalnigeria.com.

“ It was the making of one of my former agent who was bitter that I left him. No regret though but base on what you asked me about my career not progressing as expected, the media in Nigeria played a role with fake news about my age”, he said.

Rounding up he said he still has respect for the media and holds no grudge against any while urging other players in their prime to always treat their country media with respect.

“ My connection with the media in Nigeria was zero. That didn’t help at all but I hold no grudge . It’s important for players playing at the top level and in the national team to have a good relationship with the media of their country. The foreign media will only report you when they can’t help it.

“ Most people believe what comes from the media of a player’s country more than anyone else. So it’s only right you treat them with respect and if possible have one or more who you speak to regularly”, he concluded.

Despite Cyriel Dessers confirming his commitment to the senior national team of Nigeria , Belgium are still hoping to persuade him to reconsider his decision, Owngoalnigeria.com understands.

Last week , Dessers was wrongly quoted as saying he will be will consider a call up to the senior national team of Belgium if the opportunity arises. A statement he later denied .

Legendary Belgium striker Luc Nilis who started the push to get the 25 year old Genk forward into the Belgium national team believe he can push for a spot behind the top striker of the team Romelu Lukaku.

Ranked as the number one football playing nation in the world by FIFA , the country is however struggling with options in the top striker positions with only Romelu Lukaku as their viable option in attack.

The likes of Christian Benteke, Divock Origi and Michy Batshuayi have all struggled at club level unlike Dessers who finished as top scorer in the Dutch League and also got of his career in Genk with a goal on his debut.

A representative of the forward told Owngoalnigeria.com that there is a wide spread belief in Belgium that coach Roberto Martinez will call Dessers up as he is aware of his eligibility after the coronavirus pandemic cancelled his planned debut for the senior national team of Nigeria.

Belgium will return to playing international football on the 5th of September when they take on Denmark and Martinez will likely name Dessers in his squad and leave the striker with a decision to make about his international future.

At about same time , Nigeria will also be involved in friendly games as well hence there is a possibility that the forward will be called up by both nations around same time.

Michael James

FC Porto have decided to lower their asking price for Nigeria international Chidozie Awaziem who spent last season on loan to relegated Laliga side Leganes.

The Portuguese team were initially demanding a fee of €15 million for the 24 year old but owing to the coronavirus crisis they have now decided to drop the asking price by half.

A source close to the player revealed that Porto will let Awaziem leave for around 5-7 million euros with one year left to run on his deal but they will insist on a further sale clause in any deal.

Their decision has sparked interest in his service with the Ligue 1 duo of Nantes and Reims opening talks with his representatives on signing him permanently.

The shock of them all is the interest from newly promoted English Premier League side West Brom but talks is still at preliminary stage over their interest in signing him ahead of the start of next season.

Daniel Martins

Samuel Kalu is still pushing for an exit from Ligue 1 side Bordeaux before the end of the current transfer window with Galatasaray keen on hiring him for next season.

Galatasaray are proposing to have him on loan with the option to buy him permanently after his loan deal but Bordeaux will prefer an outright sale.

Kalu had a fall out with the now departed coach of the team Paulo Sousa over his attitude when he was about to be subbed on in a Ligue 1 game against Bordeaux last season.

Sousa subsequently punished him by benching him for most of the games of last season and was at the forefront of the idea to let him leave the club. However Sousa left his role as coach of the team yesterday.

His departure led to talks about a possible u-turn in Kalu’s desire to leave the team but that hasn’t changed for now with the 24 year old still bitter over the way he was treated at the club last season and believe that a move away will be the best for his career.

Daniel Martins 

Captain of the senior national team of Nigeria Ahmed Musa got off the mark for his Saudi Arabia side Al Nassr with a goal in their 2-0 win over Abha.

Musa scored the second goal in the 62nd minute after winning the spot kick which was converted by Abderrazak Hamallah for the opener .

27 year old Musa has endured an injury hit second season at the club but he has gotten over his fitness issues and reclaim his spot in the starting line up.

Keen on a move back to Europe , Musa is for the time being still at the Saudi Arabia outfit although talks with some unnamed teams in England has taken place .

His representatives held talks with Al Nassr on his decision to leave the team but were told that he is part of their plans for the remaining games of the season.

They didn’t however rule out a move in the long run but for now they are relying on him to help them maintain their second spot on the log after 24 round of league games.

Ade Emmanuel