‎Former Super Eagles striker Jonathan Akpoborie has taken a swipe at coach of the team Gernot Rohr labelling the German tactician as an old school coach who isn’t fit enough to manage the current players in the team.

Akpoborie while looking at the performance of the team and what the future holds for them under the current coach said the coach hasn’t done anything different from what other local coaches can do for the team.

According to the former Stuggart hitman, the experience at the Russia 2018 World Cup exposed the technical flaws of the coach who recently signed a two and half year contract extension to continue as coach of the Nigerian team.

“Gernot Rohr has not actually done more than what a Nigerian coach has done before. Gernot Rohr is not in this generation of football coaches that we have in Germany. Gernot Rohr was actually an old school coach when I was playing. If you look at the players we have now, we have completely new generation of players in the Super Eagles now and the way they play football is quite different”, he told Nigeria Info , 99.3FM.

“I was reading some articles on Twitter the other day and some people were putting teams together, they put names of the players and said if we have all these players that nothing can go wrong. Of course, something can go wrong. If you put all of these players together and you don’t get a coach who knows actually how to arrange the players in the field, then you will lose.

“Everything I took from that world cup was that Gernot Rohr cannot give us what he does not have.”

Osas Mahawi

Coach of runaway English Premier League leaders Liverpool Jurgen Klopp has given an insight into the type of player that Super Eagles latest recruit Ovie Ejaria is . Owngoalnigeria.com reports.

Ejaria has already filled his switch of allegiance papers with FIFA and has been given the all clear to play for Nigeria bringing an end to his association with the national team of England, where he was a part of the title winning U20 team of 2017.

As fans of Super Eagles savor in the excitement of capturing a talented midfielder, the question on the lips of many has been about what he will add to the team which presently has the trio of Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi and Joe Aribo as the preferred options in midfield.

Klopp handed a first team debut to the midfielder in 2016 bringing him on for Roberto Firmino in the EFL Cup win over Derby County. His debut according to the coach was made possible due to his tough mentality in training not just his performance.

” He shields the ball very well and likes to attack the final third which is something we like to see. We saw Ovie in a game here at Melwood one afternoon. We thought he was seriously injured as he couldn’t walk but then the next day it was nothing, like it is with kids sometimes “, Klopp said after the game in 2016.

” Then we had the training camp in Tenerife last season and Ovie made a big impression, I thought : “Oh my God, he could be ready”.

Osas Mahawi

Fresh from signing a new two and half year deal with the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr says his aim is to build a formidable team that can hold it’s own against any nation in the world, Owngoalnigeria.com reports.

Rohr confirmed he has penned his signature on the deal sent to him by the Nigeria Football Federation ( NFF) bringing to an end speculations about his future with his current deal set to run out in June. The signing wasn’t plain sailing however.

President of the NFF Amaju Pinnick gave so many stringent conditions which Rohr has to meet if he is to continue as coach but instead of making their relationship worst, the Franco-German coach accepted all conditions.

Speaking on his extension, the coach said he wasn’t concerned about the money and conditions attached as he is focus on the project he is building with the senior national team of Nigeria, which is to raise a team that can hold it’s own against any team in the world.

” So many exciting young players ‎are coming into the team and the process is a lot quicker now after the World Cup we now have a core of players we can work with for the next two years and raise a formidable team that can challenge for even the World Cup “, Rohr told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” Last time at the Africa Cup of Nations, we finished third with so many players playing at that level for the first time. The experience is there now and we hope to sustain and improve on it for the good of the team that we are building “.

Ade Emmanuel

Coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr was among the thousands of viewers who watched Hertha Berlin secure a 4-0 win over Union Berlin yesterday in the German Bundesliga.

The coach who is keen on luring Germany youth international Jordan Torunarigha to the Nigerian team watched on as the left footed defender posted a near faultless performance in the heart of Hertha Berlin defence where he partnered Dedryck Boyata.

Torunarigha was offered the chance to push for a spot in the World Cup team of Nigeria but turned it down to focus on his growth with the German team but Rohr hasn’t given up on his chase with the coach revealing that he missed the chance to speak with him last time around in Germany.

Explaining Rohr said the timing wasn’t right that was why he was unable to speak with him but from his statement it’s clear he still has the 22 year old in his plans for the Super Eagles if he agrees to switch allegiance. He showed why Rohr is keen on him against Union Berlin.

Mark Rowland

Per reports coming out of Germany, Nigeria back up goalkeeper Maduka Okoye is few details away from joining Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam from German side Fortuna Dusseldorf Owngoalnigeria.com understands.

The 20 year old met with officials of the Dutch side today in Germany and talks according to reports progressed nicely and he could join them on a free transfer when his deal expires in the summer.

It will most likely be a two year deal with the option of a third although some media outlets are speculating that the goalkeeper who has one cap for Nigeria could leave on loan with Fortuna Dusseldorf set to trigger the option of extending his contract by two more years.

What is however certain is that his transfer is few details away from happening as he bid to get the much needed experience of playing professional football that will put him in a good position to challenge for the number one spot of the senior national team of Nigeria.

This season he has made 14 appearances for the B team of Fortuna Dusseldorf conceding 26 goals in the process with two clean sheets to his name. He was involved with the first team as substitute goalkeeper for five games before the league was halted due to the coronavirus crisis.

If the move to Holland goes through he will be pushing to be first choice of Sparta Rotterdam who were 11th before the league was called off in Holland. More details will emerge in the coming days.

Daniel Martins 

Per a report by respected players valuation portal Transfermarkt.com, Lille and Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen has increased in valuation ‎after a stunning debut season in Ligue 1 following his move from Charleroi for a fee of around €12 million,Owngoalnigeria.com reports.

20 year old Osimhen is now worth €30 million more than the initial fee paid for him by Lille, a rise which according to Ligue 1 market value administrator Gonza Gonzalez came about after the outstanding season he had before Ligue 1 ‎was declared over due to the outbreak of coronavirus.

“Osimhen’s start to the season was outstanding. Since then, things have been going very well for the Nigerian. Because of his speed and his technique, he always gets into good situations“, explains TM community member and market value administrator of Ligue 1, “Gonza_Gonzalez explained.

“The striker immediately became a regular starter in Lille and was involved in 16 goals during 23 games. Regarding the rapid development, sports director Luís Campos is expected to be “attacked” by interested clubs in the future. If all goes well, Osimhen will “make a huge switch at the end of the season.”

Linked with a host of clubs this summer, Lille will no doubt make a fortune from his sale but it’s not expected to be as high as that of Brazilian superstar Neymar who cost PSG a whopping €222 million in 2017 but has seen his value dropped by €20 million.

Rennes 17 year old midfielder Eduardo Camavinga is another who saw his worth rise from €20m to €35m euros. There are talks that the 17 year old will cost clubs a fee in the region of a €100m if he is sold this summer.

Ade Emmanuel 

The name Chidera Ejuke is one that has been on the lips of football loving Nigerians the past few days owing to how the 22 year old has blossomed at Dutch Eredivisie side Heerenveen in his first season at the club.

Signed from Norwegian side Valerenga, the wing forward has gone on to become one of the most sought after player in the Dutch League after scoring nine goals this season with a further five assists to his name.

What many didn’t know is that he was twice dropped from the camp of the Nigeria U17 team in 2015 and 2017 respectively. In 2015 he was among the first set of players tipped to blossom if the team made it to the tournament proper but he was surprisingly dropped.

” No one can explain why he was dropped apart from the coach Emmanuel Amuneke. It came as a shock to everyone but you have to respect the fact that the team went to the World Cup without him and lifted the trophy “, his Nigerian representative Babawo Mohammed told Owngoalnigeria.com.

His exclusion from the team cost him a dream move to Manchester City whose scout spotted him at the camp of the Nigeria U17 team at a time where they were trying to build a base in Nigeria on the back of the exploits of Kelechi Iheanacho. It was same scout that recommended the signing of Iheanacho and Chidiebere Nwakali.

When that move broke down, he went on trial to Liverpool where he spent two weeks training with their Under-18 alongside three other Nigerian players. At the end of the trials he wasn’t signed and had to return back to Nigeria.

His return coincided with when Manu Garba was building the 2017 Under-17 team that failed to qualify for the Africa U17 Cup of Nations. Just like it happened in 2015 he was once again dropped but this time around it was on the ground of eligibility.

His agent Babawo took the unusual step of not rushing the then 17 year old to the Nigeria Professional Football League rather took him to a second division team Supreme Court to help boost his confidence as he was clearly lacking competitive football experience.

That move started the rise of the now famous 22 year old as after six months, Manu Garba signed him to Gombe United but that move came a bit late as he has already impressed Norwegian based agent Attah Aneke in a scouting game.

Manu insist on having the forward play with his team until his visa is out and that season he played just six games before travelling to Norway where after two weeks of training he was signed by Valerenga.

” He grew a lot at Gombe United, so when he went to Norway it was seamless for him to adapt. The process wasn’t quite easy as it required patience, commitment and finance. It’s however paying off with the way he is performing at the moment. I will be surprise if he doesn’t make the next Super Eagles squad”, Babawo concluded.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman 

French Ligue 1 side Nantes are now the clear favorite to sign Nigeria international defender Chidozie Awaziem, Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Awaziem has impressed on loan at Leganes from Portuguese giants FC Porto leading to talks of a permanent deal at the club if they are able to retain their status as a top flight team at the end of the current campaign.

However, that move appears to have suffered a set back as Leganes have informed his representatives that they won’t be pursuing their interest in signing him permanently as they can’t afford Porto’s current asking price of €10 million for a permanent transfer.

Leganes made it known that their decision to pull out of signing him permanently is hinged on the fact that their finances have taken a big hit due to the coronavirus pandemic. Meaning Awaziem will return to Porto where he has one more year to go on his deal.

The plan will likely be to trade him off to the Ligue 1 where Nantes are said to be keen on having him again after his impressive time on loan with them in the 2017/2018 season but that move could also be in jeopardy unless the Ligue 1 side are able to raise some significant cash from players sale.

Before the season was halted in Spain, the 23 year old who was rumoured to be on the radar of Sevilla at some point has made 18 League appearances and three more in the Copa Del Rey bringing his appearance in all competitions to 21.

Daniel Martins

The decision of German Bundesliga side Wolfsburg to part ways with wave making Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen has been labelled as one of the worst mistakes ever made by a German team in the last ten years.

Wolfsburg beat a host of other teams to sign the 21 year old in 2015 after his exploits for Nigeria at the U17 World Youth Championship where he finished as top scorer with eleven goals in ten games.

However after two seasons at the club which was interrupted by several changes in the backroom of the club he was told he has no future with the German side and shipped to Belgium where Charleroi picked him up.

He blew at the Belgium side and earned a move to Lille where he has also caught the eyes with 18 goals in all competitions before the season was halted due to the lockdown in France and later pronounced as concluded with games left to play.

Linked with a big money move in the region of around €70 million, Wolfsburg have made just €3 million from him with Lille and Charleroi who are due a certain percentage from his future transfer set to be the highest gainers.

” It’s crazy that nobody at Wolfsburg saw the potential in the lad. Some players like Serge Gnabry, David Alaba and Toni Kross ‎had loan spells before returning to blossom at Bayern Munich . No one thought of trading them off but Wolfsburg were keen on letting go of the then 20 year old Osimhen for a fee as low as €3 million. Who does that?, Germany based journalist Roland Mark told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” Maybe the new technical team didn’t believe in him after his early struggles but by now they will be liking the wounds of what will go down as one of the worst decisions in German football history with Osimhen set for a big money move from which they will earn nothing “, he concluded.

Daniel Martins 

Just like it was in the case of Tammy Abraham, Nigeria once again failed to lure another promising talent this time around Bournemouth midfielder Philip Anyanwu Billing who made a dramatic u-turn after agreeing to switch allegiance to Nigeria from Denmark.

Billing received the documents for switch of allegiance from the Nigeria Football Federation ( NFF) but opt against filling it after speaking with the incoming coach of Danish national team who told him he is part of his plans. Something that didn’t happen with the outgoing coach.

That said Owngoalnigeria.com senior editor Mohammed Suleiman popularly known as Mowiz takes a look at the players who will likely jump at the chance of playing for Nigeria despite representing another country at youth level.

Bright Osayi Samuel ( QPR) – Has caught the eyes this season with some dazzling displays in the English Championship. However while Nigeria have focused on luring his teammate Ebere Eze nothing has been said about the 22 year old.

He won’t require a switch of allegiance process as he hasn’t represented England at any level. As a winger he has played 32 games in all competitions with six goals and eight assists to his name this season.

Felix Uduokhai ( Wolfsburg) – He was Rohr’s number one target to solve the debacle of getting a left footed centre defender. Although he rejected the initial approach from Nigeria to focus on the German youth teams, he has since revealed that he is open to the idea of switching to Nigeria after been snubbed in the past few months by the U21s.

Now on loan at Augsburg, the 22 year old impressed against his parent owner Wolfsburg and with 19 Bundesliga games to his name this season, he won’t be much of a struggle if pursued by the national team handlers.

Bobby Adekanye ( Lazio) – A Dutch youth international who hasn’t hidden his Nigerian roots. Three months ago he revealed that he is a keen follower of the senior national team of Nigeria before revealing he hasn’t been contacted yet by the NFF hence his decision to focus on the Dutch team.

Still trying to find his feet in Italy, he is however viewed as one of the rising stars in the Serie A. So far he has scored once with one assists from seven games in all competitions. The time to get the former Liverpool forward is now and not when he is fully established.

Tosin Adarabioyio ( Blackburn Rovers) – On loan to Blackburn Rovers from Manchester City. He has impressed this season with 27 appearances in the Championship where he has contributed two goals and one assist from his role as a central defender.

At the age of 22 and yet to be capped by England since playing for their U19 in 2015, approaching him would be a low risk adventure unlike those who are already established in the top leagues and currently playing as junior internationals.

Seyi Ojo‎ ( Rangers) – On loan to Rangers from English Premier League leaders Liverpool, the 22 year old last represented England three years ago. Only recently he called on the authorities to give him a call up to the senior national team of Nigeria as he want to follow in the footsteps of his club colleague Joe Aribo who is fully established as a senior international for Nigeria.

Ojo’s time at at Rangers has been mixed in terms of performance but he has so far made 36 appearances with five goals and seven assists in all competitions this season.