Former Bayern Leverkusen forward Sidney Sam says he regret not taking up the chance To play for Nigeria when he was approached to switch allegiance in 2013.

The forward represented Germany at various youth level and even the senior national team but after showing interest in switching to Nigeria , he made a dramatic u-turn when he was called up to the German team for two friendly games in preparation for the 2014 World Cup.

After being called up for Germany’s friendlies against Ecuador and the United States In 2013, the then Bayer Leverkusen player claimed he never intended to represent the Super Eagles.

“The 2014 World Cup is still far away but for me it is only Germany that counts. We don’t have to speak about Nigeria.

“I never really thought about Nigeria and I do not know who invented that.

“I always wanted to play for Germany and I know I was on the coach’s list. It is a pity, I was often injured but now I am here and want to prove my strengths”, he said in May 2013.

Looking back at his decision , the 32 year old who now plays for SCR Altach in Austria said his decision to snub Nigeria for Germany cost him big when it comes to playing at the highest level of international football which is the World Cup.

He was named in the German 30 man provisional squad for the tournament in Brazil which they won but he didn’t make the final 23 man squad for the tournament proper.

“ Looking back I can say I was close to winning the World Cup with Germany. Maybe I would have played in it if I had accepted the chance offered by Nigeria. My regret yes it is but in life when you make a decision you live with the consequences “, he said.

His statement is coming at a time when Nigeria is trying to lure Hertha Berlin defender Jordan Torunarigha to the team after his stellar performance this season .

The son of former shooting starts forward Ojokojo Torunarigha is however adamant on pushing for a spot with the senior national team of Germany after progressing through the youth ranks.

He is in line to represent the U23 of Germany at the Olympics with many suggesting that he will likely revisit the issue of representing Nigeria after the tournament in Tokyo.

Osas Mahawi 

Hapoel Katamon of Israel goalkeeper Adebayo Adeleye has caught the attention of coach of the senior national team of Nigeria.

The former Nigeria U17 goalkeeper who also trained with the U20 team of last year has impressed in Isreal where he is risen to the position of first choice at second division side Katamon.

With Rohr keen on having more options in goal , the 20 year old is at the age that the Franco German coach like to have in his team and he confirmed that he is aware of the exploits of the goalkeeper tagged “New Enyeama”.

“ We have a goalkeeper in Israel that we are looking at. He has done well the past few games for a goalkeeper of his age. The idea is to have young players who will play for the team for years. We’ll continue to monitor his progress”, the coach said when asked about the chances of the goalkeeper getting a call up by this writer.

Adeleye was once again the goal tender for Hapoel Katamon in their goalless draw against Hapoel Reshion in matchday 34 in the Isreali Leumit.

The draw dims the chances of promotion for Katamon who have now fallen 8 points away from the promotion spot in the play-offs.

Adeleye, 20, joined the Isreali side in the summer of 2019 and has already gone on to cement his spot as the club’s first choice goalkeeper, making 32 appeaances in 34 league games so far this season.

Godwin N

25 year old Real Zaragoza midfielder James Igbekeme has inked a new deal with the promotion chasing Spanish second division side, owngoalnigeria.com reports.

Igbekeme’s previous deal was to expire at the end of the season but the club has swiftly move to extend his deal to the summer of 2023 as they close in on a return to the Laliga.

The 24 year old has played in 24 games for Real Zaragoza this season operating as a central midfielder for second place for Real Zaragoza, who are one point behind leaders Cadiz.

Already he has been contacted by coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr who has placed him high on his scouting list ahead of a potential call up to the senior national team of Nigeria.

The left footed ace joined Zaragoza from Portuguese second division side Gil Vincent’s in 2017 on a free transfer. He spent three years in Portugal where he started from the youth team of GD Ribeirao before turning out for the main team and fellow Portuguese side Oliveirense.

The top scorer for Nigeria at the 2016 Rio Olympics Sadiq Umar will next week make a decision on moving from Partizan Belgrade to French Ligue 1 side Lille, Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Umar has offers from as many as 16 teams with 26 teams showing interest after the forward ended his first season in Serbia with 17 goals and 17 assists in all competitions this season .

Prior to yesterday’s game , the 22 year old cleared his locker in the dressing room of the team and even told his teammates he might not play for the team again after last night final.

His plan of leaving the team on a high was however scuttled when his team were beaten on penalties in the Serbian Cup final by Vovojdina after a 2-2 draw even after extra time. Sadiq got the assist for the goal that helped his team draw level.

Lille are reportedly in front of other teams in the race to sign the forward who is valued at €15 million by Partizan Belgrade six months after they made his loan move from Roma permanent for a fee of around €1.75 million.

At Lille he is expected to replace another Nigerian in Victor Osimhen who is expected to join Serie A side Napoli before the end of the current transfer window for a fee of around €50 million.

Daniel Martins 

Nigeria international Leon Balogun has penned a permanent deal with Wigan Athletic after impressing while on loan to the team from English Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion.

The duration of the deal is yet to be made public but his contract with Brighton will run out in five days time for him to join Wigan on a permanent deal till the end of the season.

From the first of July he will officially become a player of Wigan which will make him eligible for the remaining games of the campaign which has been interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Since joining Wigan he has made six appearances and impressed in all the games. He leaves Brighton without playing a single league game this season with the EFL Cup and the FA Cup the only time he was given game time during his stay at the club in the first half of the season.

The move will help him stay in contention for a spot in the heart of the defence of the senior national team of Nigeria after losing his spot due to inactivity at club level.

Michael JAMES 

On loan Manchester City defender Tosin Adarabiyio has pledged his international future to the senior national team of Nigeria ahead of England where he played as a youth international. Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

The 22 year old initially snubbed overtures from Nigeria but made a u-turn few months ago and told the technical crew of the Nigerian team that he is available for selection for future games as his switch of allegiance does not require any ratification from FIFA despite representing England at four different youth level.

He made a total of 14 appearances for England from U-16 to U-19 but all of the games he played in were friendly games making him eligible for Nigeria without needing any form of clearance from FIFA just like Alex Iwobi few years ago.

This season Adarabiyio has excelled for Blackburn Rovers where he is spending the season on loan from Manchester City and due to his performance in the English Championship he was linked with a return to City in January when the team had a crisis in defence but manager Pep Guardiola explained his career growth is better off at Blackburn where he is a regular.

Coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr has scouted the defender severally and barring a last minute hitch , he will make the squad of the Super Eagles for their next international game when international football returns after the suspension of football activities due to the outbreak of coronavirus.

Coach of the senior national team of Nigeria was among those who watched the final of the Serbian Cup yesterday with the coach using the opportunity to scout Partizan Belgrade striker Sadiq Umar.

Sadiq has emerged as a target for the Franco-German coach of the Super Eagles after scoring 17 goals with 16 assists in the Serbian League this season.

Yesterday he ended up on the losing side in what many said is his last game for the team as he is excepted to be sold before the end of the current transfer window in Europe.

Vojvodina defeated Partizan Belgrade 4-2 on penalties to lift the Serbian Cup with Umar picking up the assist for his team second goal to further increase his assist count to 17.

Speaking to Colin Udoh of ESPN , Rohr confirmed before the final game that he has his eyes on the lanky striker and will watch him play before making up him mind on inviting him to the team.

“I will watch the game on TV, of course,” Gernot Ror told ESPN. We wish him to win it”.

With his assist and overall performance yesterday, Rohr will no doubt give him a chance to stake a claim for a spot in the team which has Victor Osimhen as the arrow head of the attack.

Aside Osimhen, if Sadiq is called up he will also need to fend off challenge from the trio of Paul Onuachu, Cyriel Dessers and Ahmed Musa who is the captain for the top striker’s position.

Osas Mahawi

A proposed transfer to English Premier League side Chelsea from Leicester City by Wilfred Ndidi made a speculated transfer merry go round expected to happen this summer.

According to the British media , the Nigerian who has emerged as one of the key players for Leicester City the past two seasons has grown in leaps and bounds this season.

The fact that he is further confirmed his rating as one of the consistent midfielders in the English Premier League made many believe he could leave the King Power Stadium for another team this summer.

Yesterday news broke out that Leicester City has agreed a deal to sign Ricardo Carvalho, the rumors of a potential summer departure for Ndidi resurfaced again.

It is speculated that he will likely join Chelsea who are willing to cash in on Ngolo Kante who is wanted by French Ligue 1 giants PSG. Leicester have reportedly prepared themselves for Ndidi’S departure by bringing in Carvalho.

In the coming days a clear picture of the proposed transfer merry go round is expected to be confirmed or dismissed by the parties involved.

Daniel Martins

First choice goalkeeper of the senior national of Nigeria Francis Uzoho says he he holds no grudge against those who doubt his age.

The age of the goalkeeper has been severally questioned in the Nigerian media mostly based on his facial looks and size , something Uzoho insist he isn’t bothered about because it’s baseless.

He however said he understand they are doubting his age because he truly looks older than his age but that was due to extreme training after playing the role of third choice for Nigeria at the 2013 Under-17 World Cup.

While speaking on Sportszone, a live radio show on Lagos Talks, Uzoho admitted that he actually looks older than his age.

“I don’t really blame guys who doubt my age. I have to go along with it. It is part of the game so I have to live with it.

“I will give it to them, I look older than my age but you can’t blame me for that. Some things are out of my hands, but I worked to build this physique you guys are seeing now.

“If you check my picture in 2013 at the Under seventeen National Team, you won’t believe the development. So, I had to work and build myself because being slim and lanky I can’t be in the post and play against guys like Messi and Higuan, so I had to develop my self,” Uzoho said.

Ade Emmanuel

President of Ligue 1 side Nantes Waldemar Kita has praised the impact of Moses Simon at the club following his nomination in the team of the decade at the club.

Simon spent a season on loan to the team from Levante and after scoring nine goals with seven assists they took up the option of making the deal permanent for a fee of around €5 million.

Voted among as the player of the year by fans of the Ligue 1 side , the 24 year old who also won the goal of the season award made the list of the best eleven players at the club the last ten years in a post made available by the club yesterday.

Reacting to the naming of the Nigerian in the list, the president said it came natural due to the way he performed for the team last season not just on the pitch but also off the pitch.

“ Simon blew everybody away with his conduct off the pitch and his performance on the pitch . He doesn’t give half effort in training and that has made him a regular in games. He deserve his spot and we hope to see more of him in the future”, Kita said in his nomination.

Michael James