SCOUT TO HELP OLISEH TRACK EAGLES

 Nigerian football scout  Bonaventure  Ibezim based in Germany have sensationally declared to help the new Super Eagles coach scout for eligible Nigerian players around the world who can make Nigeria proud. He said that he has consistently followed Nigerian football and the players both home and abroad and can confirm that though, Nigeria is not as blessed as she used to be in football especially in nineties when AFCON qualifier was no head ache for Super Eagle handlers, that he can conveniently name players that can gradually restore the pride of Nigeria among the comity of nations as regards round leather game.

He encouraged coach Sunday Oliseh to be confident in the job which he recently accepted as African nations cup qualifier can never be an issue for Nigeria if the right players are selected.

He warned Oliseh to avoid the mistakes that saw the down fall of Coach Stephen Keshi.  In his words ‘’ Oliseh must establish a playing pattern as we use to have in Nineties. In Nineties, a blind man in Nigeria knows that Oliseh is our established defensive midfielder, Okocha attacking, Finidi right winger, Amuneke Left winger and Rashidi will be waiting for the balls to score the goals. 

He lamented that the result is no longer the case now, Nigeria has been building team like forever and you can no longer beat your chest and bet that Nigeria will beat Tanzania. You can no longer tell who will take Nigeria’s free kicks , Corner kicks and even penalty. You can no longer tell who will start except for few players like Enyeama and Mikel. He expressed confidence in the ability of Sunday Oliseh having watched him time without numbers analyse the game . 

He went further to suggest players that can fill various positions comfortably .  He said, OLiseh is a modern coach with all the technical no how having obtained highest certificate there is in the game.

In the no 1 position which is the goal keeper, I suggest Oliseh sticks with Enyeama while also encouraging the younger lads both home and abroad to come up and challenge for positions. See the list of 47 Nigerian players scattered across the globe who he describe can suit in Oliseh's 4-3-3 strategy.

1)Vincent Enyeama (Lilles)…France

Austin Ejide  Hapoel  Beer Sheva (Isreal)

Carl Ikem  (Wolves England)

Daniel Akpeyi  ( Warri Wolves Nigeria)

Dele Alampasu (Estoril Portugal)

2) Efe Ambrose ( Celtic Scotland)

Leon Balogun  ( Mainz  Germany)

Musa Mohammed (Istanbul Basaksehir Turkey)

3) Uwa Elderson Echegile (Monaco France)

Stanley Amuzie  (Sampdoria Italy)

Juwon Oshaniwa (FC Ashdod Isreal)

Kingsley Madu  (Trencin Slovakia)

4) Ogenyi  Onazi  (Lazio Italy)

Obiora Nwankwo  (Portugal)

Ogude (Russia)

Anderson Esiti (Estoril Portugal)

5) Omeruo (Kasimpasa Turkey)

Kenneth Otigba (Henrenven Holland)

Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves Nigeria)

6)Godfrey Oboabona ( Ritzespor Turkey)

Nedum Onuoha (QPR England)

Troost Ekong    (Genk Belgium)

7) Osaze Odewingie (Stokes England)

Brown Ideye ( West Brom England)

Ejike Uzoenyi ( Sundown South Africa)

8) John Mikel (Chelsea England)

Lukman Haruna (Anzhi Russia)

John Ogu  (Hapoel Beer Sheva)

John Chibuike (Gaziantespor Turkey)

9) Emmanuel Emenike ( Al Ain UAE)

Odion Ighalo ( Watford England)

Victor Anichebe ( Westbrom England)

Gbolahan Salami (Warri Wolves Nigeria)

Ikechukwu Uche (Tigres Mexico)

Anthony Ujah (Werder Bremen Germany)

Aaron Samuel Olanare Guangzhou R&F China

10)Joel Obi (Torino Italy)

Iheanacho (Man city England)

Rabiu Ibrahim ( Trencin Slovakia)

Uche Kalu (Levante Spain)

11) Victor Moses (Chelsea England)

Musa Ahmed (CSKA Mosco Russia)

Babatunde Michael ( Volyn Ukraine)

Sone Aluko (Hull England).

Moses Simon (Genk Belgium)

He stressed the need for there to be competition in all the positions in the field to enable the players to be steadily on their feet.

He also encouraged NFF to open a scouting department that will enable Nigeria work on getting players like  Jordon Ibe of Liverpool, Chuba Akpom of Arsenal, Alex Iwobi of Arsenal and Sammy Ameobi to commit to Nigeria.

               Enyeama

Efe   Omeruo         Oboabona   Echegile

        Onazi            Mikel

              Iheanacho

Musa  Emenike   Moses

Oliseh: I Almost Rejected Super Eagles Job

New Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh has admitted his job is made more difficult because there are not many players of top quality available to him.
The former Super Eagles captain said he initially had his doubts about taking up the offer of managing the 2013 African champions because he was not totally convinced by the depth of the squad.
“To coach Nigeria is not the easiest job in the world and one is only as good as the players,” Oliseh told the FIFA website.
“Nigeria at the moment has a lot of potential, but we don’t have a lot of confirmed players in the top clubs in the top leagues, so taking over the national team now means we have to remake the whole team and introduce a new philosophy of playing style, of culture and mentality. That is very difficult to do when you are the national team coach because you have very limited time with the players unlike when you coach a club. So that is why I was very hesitant.
“For some years now, there have been offers and discussions about me taking over. It has been on the table, but it has not yet happened because the timing was off.”
The 1994 Africa Cup of Nations winner however added that he was encouraged by the backing of Nigerian fans.
 He added: “When I came into Nigeria to have talks, I came out of the airport and I knew there was no going back because all the way from the airport, my countrymen where saying: ‘You have to take the job, you have to take the job.’ So I did.”
The Super Eagles will face the winners of the first round match between Djibouti and Swaziland for a place in the group phase of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
 Oliseh is confident Nigeria will negotiate that round successfully.
“It is going to be very, very difficult, but I believe we can qualify. All we have to do is look at ourselves, try to improve our game and hopefully we will qualify,” he said, while insisting that his lack of coaching experience will not affect his team’s progress.
 “I don’t think that is a drawback though. Time will tell, but I took the job to be successful. But first we have to qualify.
“Our ambition is to get the best to play for Nigeria, and football is getting faster these days and it keeps getting faster and faster. The tempo is different now, and we can see in the first division of most nations that is where the tempo is.”
The coach, who has signed a three-year contract and will continue to live in Belgium but travel to Nigeria as often as is necessary, confessed that he was embarking on a difficult path. “We are practically starting from scratch, so that is why I am saying that people should not expect miracles from us.”
However, he has not lost sight of his immediate expectations as he gets set to lead the team out for the first time in the AFCON qualifier against Tanzania in September.
He adds in the FIFA.com article: “We all have dreams, and I am hoping I will be as successful as I can be. But one has to be realistic also. We have just started, and our first step is to hopefully just win against Tanzania. That is what I am praying for. Game by game.”

Transfer Gossip

United to offer Evans plus cash for Stones, Liverpool open to Balotelli offers (yes, really), Villa to pay Adebayor £100k per week...

Sergio Ramos to sign new Real deal, United and City join the Stones race, Spurs to sign Lambert, Young to Anfield...

Arsenal in for Busquets, Everton and West Ham want Halilovic, Young, Hernandez and McCarthy to Spurs...

UNITED JOIN STONES RACE
This very column brought news yesterday that Manchester United 'would welcome John Stones at Old Trafford'. Our advice to them was that he was unlikely to arrive at the club unless they made a bit, and it seems someone from United was listening. Great to know.

The Daily Mirror claims that United will make a player-plus-cash deal for Stones. There is little surprise to learn that the player in question is Jonny Evans, who might even be below Paddy McNair and Tyler Blackett in Louis van Gaal's central defender options. It's not that long since he was marshalling United's defence successfully.

Chelsea are expected come back in with a £30m bid for Stones, but the papers remark that interest from United and City could push the fee as high as £34m.


LIVERPOOL OPEN TO BALOTELLI OFFERS
We're not quite sure if it's because there is little to no news around this morning, or because various people have decided to have a laugh at once, but most of the papers this morning go with the line that Mario Balotelli is unwanted by Liverpool.

We know, we know, peel yourselves from the ceiling. Sorry to surprise you. It seems that Liverpool are open to offers for the Italian striker. They want to get rid. Tata. Goodbye. Farewell. Get lost.

Perhaps it was the fact that Balotelli has been completely ignored for the whole of pre-season? Or that Liverpool actually cropped him off photos for their website? Or that he hardly played for the last three months of last season? Or the fact that... oh you know the score. He's for sale.


ADEBAYOR TO COMPLETE VILLA MOVE
Another striker on the move is Emmanuel Adebayor, with Spurs fans presumably pinching themselves as they discover that Aston Villa are being persuaded to part with £100,000 a week to pay all of his wages.

The Independent report that Adebayor has already passed his medical at Villa, and will be announced before next Monday. He joins on a season-long loan which will take him to the end of his Spurs contract. You will not receive a shiny penny for guessing that Spurs are unlikely to renew that deal.

Adebayor is not guaranteed to be first choice at Villa Park. They already have Gabby Agbonlahor, Jordan Ayew and Libor Kozak, and look set to sign Rudy Gestede from Blackburn. Are they all as good as Christian Benteke when you put them together?


AND THE REST
Striker Glenn Murray, 31, is ready to quit Crystal Palace with Premier League newcomers Bournemouth ready to snap him up... Hull's £3.5m offer for Moses Odubajo has triggered the release clause in the Brentford defender's contract... England winger Ashley Young could leave Manchester United if they do not extend his contract, with Tottenham, Liverpool and Newcastle all interested... Sunderland are ready to table an improved offer after a £12.5m bid for Fenerbahce striker Moussa Sow was turned down... Palermo want to sign Arsenal striker Joel Campbell, 23, but are struggling with the £7m valuation.

Liverpool will find out next week West Ham are on the verge of signing Atletico Madrid striker Raul Jimenez, 24, for £10m.whether they can sign Real Madrid's Russian winger Denis Cheryshev, 24, after making a £15m bid... Leicester have made a £5.6million offer 24-year-old for Caen midfielder N'Golo Kante and proposed a four-year contract... Celtic have told striker Anthony Stokes his Parkhead career is effectively over with Hull, Sheffield Wednesday and Wigan all interested... Arsenal youngster Isaac Hayden is on the verge of completing a season-long loan deal to Hull City... Tottenham will open talks with Stuttgart over signing German teenager Timo Werner.

Siasia: Le Roy should be worried and afraid of us

Abuja - Nigeria men's U23 coach, Samson Siasia has warned his Congolese counterpart, Claude Le Roy to be afraid and worried ahead of both country's African U23 qualifier this weekend.
Both men have been involved in a war of words since before the first leg in Port Harcourt two weeks ago, with Siasia saying he wasn't scared of the experienced Congo coach, and the Frenchman accusing Siasia of disrespect in his response.
And ahead of the return leg in Pointe Noire this weekend, Siasia has reignited the media war, by saying Le Roy cannot intimidate him and warned the Frenchman to be worried.
Also read: Dream Team striker talks tough ahead return leg against Congo
"They can't intimidate us with all the overseas based players they have, in fact I think he should be worried.
"They had two chances at goal here (in the first leg) and they managed to score one and he (Le Roy) said they were the better team. I think he should be worried and he should be afraid we are coming to Congo.
"They came over here and beat the Super Eagles so we can go over there and beat them. We know our game plan and I hear they have six overseas based players but that is not going to scare us.
"We just have to be focused on our game plan and do what we have to do and we will get what we want," Siasia posited.

Gaziantepspor Turn Down Two Million Euros Offer From Saudi Arabian Club For John Chibuike .

It can be revealed with certainty that the former Rosenborg and BK Hacken star is on the wishlist of clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

An unnamed Saudi Arabian club recently tabled a two million euros bid for Chibuike but the offer from the Middle East was deemed insufficient, with Gaziantepspor refusing to do business except they meet his €3 million asking price.

The ex Scandinavian - based player is tied to Gaziantepspor until the end of the 2017 - 2018 season.

In 27 Super Lig appearances last term, John Chibuike registered his name on the scoresheet 6 times.

Panthinaikos Midfielder Abdul Ajagun dreams Champions League Chances Against Club Brugge

Panathinaikos midfielder Abdul Ajagun says The Greens will do everything in their power to qualify for the next round of the Champions League after their narrow 2- 1 win against Club Brugge on Tuesday night.

The former Flying Eagles skipper was sacrificed after the interval at Stadio Apóstolos Nikolaidis after teammate Sergio Sánchez was red - carded in the 43rd minute.

“It certainly was a very difficult game for us as it unfolded, especially in the first half after the dismissal and lost penalty,”  Ajagun told gazzetta.gr in his post match comments.

“In the second part we entered the pitch determined, united, we played as a team and we managed to get what we deserved.

“The whole team believes in qualification and we are going to Belgium to show. We will prepare as well as possible to achieve our goal.”

Panathinaikos will face Club Brugge in the second leg at Jan Breydelstadion on Wednesday, Augu

Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong has joined Belgian champions KAA Gent on a three-year deal, completesportsnigeria.com can report.

The 21-year-old defender who featured for FC Dordrecht on loan last season in the Dutch Eredivise will feature alongside his compatriot Moses Simon in this season’s UEFA Champions League competition.

Ekong made 23 appearances last term and was linked with summer moves to Spain and Russia but opted for the Belgian champions who guaranteed more regular football.

He previously featured for FC Groningen

• 
  

Moses Shines  As Chelsea Beat Barca

Victor Moses was in fine form again in the early hours of Wednesday (Nigerian time) as Chelsea won their second straight penalty shootout in the pre-season International Champions Cup in the United States of America.
The Nigerian forward has been one of the best Chelsea players in this pre-season and he was brilliant again as they defeated Barcelona 4-2 on penalties after regulation time ended 2-2. He scored Chelsea’s second penalty, confidently sending the Barcelona keeper the wrong way.
Eden Hazard’s brilliant solo effort, Luis Suarez’s cheeky dink over a sprawled Thibaut Courtois, Sandro Ramirez’s spectacular strike and Gary Cahill’s brave header accounted for the normal time goals in the intense clash.
Having scored and been named man of the match in the penalty shootout win over PSG on Saturday, Moses was not in the starting line-up against the European champions.
But the Super Eagles star was drafted in on the hour mark, alongside several other players, including Mikel Obi, as Jose Mourinho rang the changes.
Moses then was involved in most of Chelsea’s best passages of play and chances in the second half with his driving runs and dangerous crosses.
He first combined with Loic Remy to set up Ramires but the Brazilian shot wide.
Few minutes afterwards Moses skilfully evaded his marker on the right wing and delivered a very dangerous low cross into the six-yard box, but there was no Chelsea player there to tap home.
He delivered two more tempting crosses into the Barcelona box as Chelsea chased the equaliser, further underlining why Mourinho is keen to keep him at Stamford Bridge for the new season.

Nigerians in Champions League review

The performances of Nigerian players that were in action for the respective clubs in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night shows:

Nosa Igiebor ended his scoring streak after hitting target in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s first two games in the Champions League but he will have other things to worry about, with the Yellows left with a mountain to climb after losing at Bloomfield.

The Super Eagles midfielder was in action for 90 minutes but could not save the Israeli champions from losing 2 - 1 to the Czech Republic team.

Ahmed Musa and his CSKA teammates will be disappointed with the 2 - 2 draw with Sparta Prague in Moscow.

The Muscovites number 18 worked 90 minutes in attack while ex Flying Eagles striker Kehinde Fatai was subbed out in the 57th minute. Fatai scored his first - ever goal in the Champions League in the 15th minute to take the scoreline to 1 - 1.

FC Midtjylland shot themselves in the foot in their bid to qualify for the play - off round after their 2 - 1 loss to 2012 surprise package, APOEL Nicosia.

Paul Onuachu and Rilwan Hassan did not make the Danish champions 18 - man squad in the game held at the MCH Arena.

Ex Nigeria Under 20 international Abdul Ajagun was replaced in the 46th minute as Panathinaikos came from behind to beat Club Brugge 2 - 1 in Athens.

Finally at the STADE DE SUISSE Wankdorf Bern, defender Elderson Echiejile did not travel to Switzerland for Monaco’s clash with Young Boys. The French team won 3 - 1.

Victor Moses Impressive In Chelsea Win Against Barcelona

Published: July 29, 2015

For the second straight pre - season game, Chelsea ran out winners on penalties against Barcelona after normal time ended 2 - 2 in Washington DC.

As per team news, there was no place in the starting XI for the four Nigerian players that traveled with the squad to North America, however, Mikel and Moses were introduced on the hour mark, replacing Matic and Fabregas respectively.

Moses was a handful for the Barcelona defenders, with several runs and crosses from the left wing but his offensive partners Remy and Willian failed to convert.

The winger capped off a fine performance by scoring from the spot to give Chelsea a 2 - 1 lead after Barcelona’s Halilovic had missed while attempting a panenka.

Both Mikel and Moses have featured in all three games played by Chelsea in pre - season so far.

Mikel, Moses and Enyeama to lead Eagles against Tanzania

 

Sunday Oliseh.

Super Eagles captain Vincent Enyeama is expected to lead several established Eagles stars to Tanzania for AFCON 2017 qualifier against the Taifa Stars. Oliseh is expected to release his list of invited players for the game against Tanzania in the second week of August with the foreign-based professionals expected to join the team in Tanzania. Lazio midfielder Ogenyi Onazi is ruled out of the encounter after his dismissal against Chad last month, but there will be a return for Enyeama, Mikel Obi and Victor Moses.
Eagles skipper Enyeama, whose differences with the NFF over his comments after the game against Chad have been sorted out, has been tipped as a key player in the plans of new coach Sunday Oliseh.
"From the way Oliseh spoke about Enyeama in our meetings, it tells you that the coach wants him to play a huge role in his team building for the Eagles" a top source disclosed.
"He said the experience of Enyeama is needed by the team but he also highlighted on the need to install discipline in the team." The top sources also revealed: "We may not be seeing too many new faces in the Eagles from the start, but I think what Oliseh wants to do is change the mentality of the team because he believes the Eagles can win every match."

 Alex Iwobi set to choose Nigeria ahead of England.

Nigeria appear to have won the battle to land Arsenal's highly-rated youngster Alex Iwobi.

Sportsmail revealed on Monday how the Super Eagles were trying to snatch the 18-year-old - who is Jay-Jay Okocha's nephew - from under England's noses.

Iwobi, who captains Arsenal's Under 21 side, has represented England at Under 16, 17 and 18 level.

Nigeria appear to have won the battle to land Arsenal's highly-rated youngster Alex Iwobi

However, the teenage forward has accepted an offer to join up with the Nigeria squad this week and now looks set to switch allegiances.

Iwobi, who has born in Nigeria, said: 'Ordinarily I would have loved to play for England since I have played for all the under-aged teams up to the U-19,

'But Austin Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu have influenced my decision to play for Nigeria.

'My dad too has told me a lot of things about the honour and pride that goes with playing for Nigeria.

'So I thought a lot about this and decided to play for Nigeria.'

However, until Iwobi plays a competitive senior match for the Super Eagles, then he is still eligible to play for England.

Iwobi, who captains Arsenal's Under 21 side, has represented England at Under 16, 17 and 18 level

Siasia raps NFF for Iwobi.

Nigeria U-23s coach Samson Siasia has urged the Nigeria Football Federation to speed up action on Arsenal FC of England youngster Alex Iwobi to enable him to be capped for the Super Eagles.
Siasia said for Arsene Wenger to feature the young forward in the Emirate Cup means that Iwobi, who is related to former Nigeria captain Austin Okocha, is good and ripe to get a look-in by the senior national team coaches.
Iwobi who has played for England at Under-16 and Under-19 levels, wants to switch nationality and play for Nigeria, where his father hails from, but there is some paper work to be done before he becomes eligible to play for the 2013 African champions.
“We should cap him now to prevent England from snatching him from us. I wish he was eligible to play for the Under-23s, I would have drafted him to play for my team,” Siasia, whom Iwobi had trained under earlier, told completesportsnigeria.com.
“Iwobi has come of age and I think now is the time to cap him for Super Eagles. He is a good player that will be a future great in Nigeria football. NFF should speed up action and get him cleared to feature for Nigeria.”

 Oliseh Eyes U-23 Stars for Tanzania

Super Eagles Coach, Sunday oliseh, has penciled down several U-23 stars in his bid to raise a formidable team.
The U23 stars include Italy-based Stanley Amuzie, FC Taraba skipper Usman Mohammed, Oghenekaro Etebo from Warri Wolves and Enyimba midfielder Kingsley Sokari.
Left-back Amuzie, who only recently moved to Italian Serie A side Sampdoria, posted an eye-catching performance when the U23s beat Congo 2-1 in Port Harcourt earlier this month.
He was solid in defence and showed class going forward to join the attack.
"Even before Amuzie was mentioned to him, Oliseh already has the player on his list," said a top source.
Usman Mohammed, Etebo and Sokari will most certainly be called to a training camp for home-based stars later in August.

And should they then impress, they will be on the squad for a 2017 AFCON qualifier in Tanzania.
"The home-based Eagles camp in August will afford the players from the league to prove they are good enough for the main Super Eagles squad. Those who prove this will be on the flight to Tanzania," a top team official revealed only to AfricanFootball.com

Newly-appointed Nigeria manager Sunday Oliseh says he will stand by his decision not to select players plying their trade outside the top divisions.


Critics of Oliseh's policy believe the coach risks missing out on some talented players in the lower European divisions.


However, the 40-year-old said his decision to not consider players outside the first divisions was because the Super Eagles deserved nothing but the very best among their ranks.


"At the moment there has been a lot of talk as regards the fact that we have decided that first division players are the players that we found eligible to serve our country," Oliseh told Goal.


"We feel the best has to play for us and the best in any country play in the first division.


"Of course there could be some exceptions, we have players who are excellent in the second division but the basis of our decision is this: The best players in the first division are used to a certain level, tempo and competition standard because that is what the competition entails.


"And for that reason, we need the best that are used to playing at this tempo to serve and play for Nigeria," he concluded.

Transfer Gossip

Pedro is close to a £22m Man United move, Wolfsburg don't need De Bruyne cash, Arsenal keeping 

Nigerian youth prodigy ,Musa Yahaya to be loaned out to Leicester.

Pellegrini contemplating not loaning out Kelechi Iheanacho after his impressive display in the 8-1 whitewash of vietnam.

West Ham made contact with Nigerian John Chibuike of Gaziantespor .

United reject bids for Carrick from Newcastle and Inter, Spurs to sign Berahino soon, Welbeck to Besiktas...

CHELSEA WANT TELLES


Having sold Filipe Luis back to Atletico, Jose Mourinho suddenly needs a new back-up left-back. Preferably somebody young enough to be happy biding their time and waiting for a first-team chance. Cesar Azpilicueta is the b*llocks.

The Daily Mail report that Chelsea have approached Galatasaray over the availability of Alex Telles, a 22-year-old Brazilian.

With Augsburg holding out for £15m for Abdul Baba Rahman, Telles would certainly be a more budget option. Still, he's pretty handy.


WISDOM TO NORWICH
Andre Wisdom is destined to never play regularly for Liverpool. Having been loaned out to Derby in the Championship in 2013/14, he went to West Brom last season but only started 22 league games.

Now it looks like he is off out on loan again, this time to Premier League newbies Norwich. That's according to the Daily Mail.

Wisdom looked okay at West Brom, but he's going to end up at a club towards the bottom of the Premier League, isn't he?

AARONS TO ARSENAL
This gossiper is already more than convinced that Rolando Aarons is going to be a bloody star, and the Newcastle winger is already generating whispers of a potential move.

The Daily Express claim that Arsenal want to take advantage of the uncertainty over Aarons' new contract by bringing him to the Emirates. Because Arsenal need another central midfielder.

Aarons still has two years left on his Newcastle deal. He surely won't be going anywhere until he gets some more first-team football under his belt?

NO NEW CENTRE-HALF FOR UNITED
'#mufc are not expected to look elsewhere for a centre-half should Ramos stay at Real. LvG happy with options. #mufc interest in Ramos was because a) he's world class and b) the DdG situation, not because LvG felt pressing need for another centre half.'

That's the tweet from the Mail's Mike Keegan, who has clearly had the nod from Old Trafford - as did the Manchester Evening News - that Nicolas Otamendi was never a target.

So what are those options? Daley Blind, Jonny Evans, Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Michael Carrick, Paddy McNair and Tyler Blackett. The emphasis is on quantity, clearly.


NO BID FOR BERAHINO
This was West Brom's official tweet on Tuesday morning: 'Ok, this is getting silly now. So let us make it clear. There has been NO bid for Saido. That's it. Carry on everyone #wba.'

We are not massively fond of the whole 'hey mate' style of the tweet, but at least it's all pretty clear.


NICO STAYS
That's the simple headline on the front page of Spanish newspaper Super Deporte on Tuesday. The 'Nico' in question is of course Nicolas Otamendi, who is said to be keen on staying at Valencia rather than joining Manchester United.

With Sergio Ramos also set to stay in Spain with Real Madrid, where does that leave Manchester United's pursuit of a commanding centre-half? With Daley Blind, that's where.

Update: The Manchester Evening News claim that 'Manchester United will NOT move for Nicolas Otamendi this summer'. They believe that United 'are being used to ramp up interest in the Valencia player'. The MEN also claim that Nicolas Gaitan is not on Louis van Gaal's list. So who is?


LAMELA TO PORTO
We are willing to believe that Tottenham would send Erik Lamela on loan to Porto, but we are struggling to accept that arch-negotiator Daniel Levy would agree a £5.3m option to buy for a player who cost £30m in the summer of 2013. But that's what Portuguese newspaper Record are claiming.

With Vlad Chiriches set to join Napoli, Lamela's exit would leave Spurs with only Roberto Soldado, Nacer Chadli and Christian Eriksen from the famous splurge of 2013.


PEDRO IS AWFUL CLOSE
Well, well. The consensus across the media in both England and Spain is that Pedro will become a Manchester United player as a) he is keen to make the move and actually play some football and b) United are willing to meet his £22m release clause. As they are set to receive roughly double that amount for Angel Di Maria from PSG (when they stop playing silly beggars over the fee), that seems like something of a bargain.

Is Pedro the player with "speed and creativity" that Louis van Gaal was talking about this week? He certainly has both. Does that mean that Ashley Young will lose his place? Is this starting to smell like a title challenge from United?


WOLFSBURG: WE DON'T NEED MONEY
We keep being told that Manchester City want Kevin de Bruyne and are willing to pay £50m but Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs said: "We are not a selling club, we don't need the money. And in the project of Wolfsburg we want to compete one day with Bayern Munich and you need these kind of players."

But De Bruyne himself says: "I don't know where I will play next season. I just have to train well and make sure that I am fully fit. We will then see what happens. It is always something special when big clubs show an interest in you. Of course, I am thinking about it."


ARSENAL 'NO' TO SAINTS ON CHAMBERS
'Arsene Wenger has knocked back Southampton's move to re-sign Calum Chambers on loan,' says Arsenal fanboy and Daily Mirror football writer John Cross. The Saints are said to be one of several Premier League clubs who have enquired about Chambers, who fell so far down the Gunners' pecking order last season that he did not even make the bench by May.


AND THE REST
Tottenham will launch a £10m bid for West Brom striker Saido Berahino in the next 48 hours but there could be a snag with the Baggies valuing him at £20m...Newcastle are ready to up their bid for Charlie Austin if they receive assurances on his injured shoulder...West Brom are hopeful of landing Bosman Abou Diaby and have held preliminary talks with fellow free agent Bakary Sako...Montreal Impact have confirmed the signing of former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba...

...Napoli have moved to beat Fiorentina to Tottenham Hotspur defender Vlad Chiriches...Southampton are trying to sign QPR defender Steven Caulker on loan with view to an £8million permanent deal...Manchester City have negotiated a £10.25m compulsory purchase agreement in the season-long loan deal Stevan Jovetic is set to sign with Inter Milan...Burnley are facing a fight from Nottingham Forest to sign their midfielder Henri Lansbury...League One Coventry City are set to sign 18-year-old Newcastle United striker Adam Armstrong on a long-term loan deal.

Mikel On Target Against Liverpool In Pre - Season Fixture

 

Mikel Agu played for 90 minutes in Porto’s 2 - 0 win over Liverpool U21s  in the Steel Park Cup staged at Corby Town FC on Sunday afternoon.

For the tournament, Porto fielded their B Team and the central midfielder was one of the players selected for the trip to Northamptonshire.

The Nigerian opened scoring against The Reds in the 20th minute before Ivo Rodrigues completed the scoring five minutes before the interval.

Porto finished second in the pre - season tournament after drawing 1 - 1 in their first game against Corby Town, with Mikel making way for Leandro Silva immediately after the intermission.

The 22 - year - old Mikel is among the 27 players summoned for a training camp which begins today, Monday, at Serra da Estrela.

Kelechi Iheanacho Showing He Has A Good Understanding With Raheem Sterling

Published: July 27, 2015

Kelechi Iheanacho was given another opportunity to impress manager Manuel Pellegrini in Manchester City’s penultimate pre - season fixture against Vietnam national team on Monday afternoon.

The Citizens thrashed Vietnam 8  -1 thanks to goals from Aleksandar Kolarov, Raheem Sterling, David Silva, Marcos Lopes and Jose Pozo.

The Flying Eagles striker failed to get on the scoresheet but was credited with an assist for Sterling’s second goal on the half - hour mark.

Kelechi Iheanacho was one of the three outfield players that started the game for Man City and remained on the pitch when the final whistle was blown.

The 18 - year - old has featured in four pre - season games, scoring one goal (2 assists).

Photo Credit : mcfc.co.uk

Home / Football / Sports / Oliseh Soft-pedals On Players’ Invitation

Oliseh Soft-pedals On Players’ Invitation

Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, has further amended his earlier stance that only Nigerians who play in first division clubs will be welcomed to the Nigeria senior male national team.
Speaking via his personal blog, sundayolisehtv.com, the newly appointed coach of the Super Eagles affirmed that lower division goalkeepers will be allowed to play for Nigeria because they fall into a different category.
“Of course, this applies to field players because goalkeepers are a different breed as we call them,” Oliseh said yesterday, as he tried to clarify his earlier remark which seemed to have knocked out any player not in the top division in the respective countries they play.
“Also, there could be some exception for players who are excelling in the second division.
“The players in the first division are used to a certain level, tempo and competition standards because of what the first division entails.
“For this reason, we need the best who are already used to playing at this tempo to serve and play for Nigeria.
“Also players that are already in the national fold – from the U-17 to the U-23 are also exempted from the first division rules,” he said.

Adebayor to follow Jordan Ayew at Villa

Tottenham's Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor

by Stephane DeSaintsalvy

Monday Jul 27, 2015. 21:35

Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor is next on Aston Villa’s shopping list, with Jordan Ayew their latest addition following his move from FC Lorient on Monday.

READ: Jordan Ayew finalizes Aston Villa switch

The Ghana international penned a five-year deal with the Premier League outfit after the two clubs agreed to a transfer fee of around £8.5 million.

The 23-year-old landed at Villa Park as a potential replacement for Belgian hitman Christian Benteke, who joined Liverpool for £32.5 million.

READ: Benteke's move to Liverpool leaves Villa doors wide open for Adebayor

However, club’s boss Tim Sherwood is still keen to strengthen his attacking force before the transfer window closes, with former protégé Emmanuel Adebayor his number one priority.

The Togo international, who has completely slipped out of favour at White Hart Lane, played under Sherwood at Spurs from December 2013 to May 2014.

“I think there is (a deal),” Villa’s assistant coach Ray Wilkins told TalkSport.

“I can only talk for myself, but I'm hoping there is because when Adebayor wants to play, he is extremely effective. He knows the Premier League inside out, so he would be a good addition for us.”

According to reports, the 31-year-old will join Villa on a season-long loan with the option of a permanent deal at the end of the season, with Tottenham to take care of part of the striker’s £100,000-a-week wages.

TRANSFER GOSSIP.

Chelsea to improve Stones bid to £26m, Higuain to City (for £45m?), Llorente to Arsenal, Cavani to United...
Newcastle are ready to tempt Man City for the signature of Nigerian wonder kid Kelechi Iheanacho for a fee in the region of £9m.
Efe Ambrose has turned down opportunity to re-unite with his former team mates Victor Wayama at Southampton. He said he will rather stay with Celtic and play Champions league football.
Aston Villa has identified Odion Ighalo as their main target to replace Benteke who left for Liverpool for £32.5M. They are expected to spend half of their recruit in the purchase of Ighalo and Ayew from Lorient.

LUCAS DIGNE TO LIVERPOOL...
While PSG duo Nasser Al Khelaifi and Olivier Letang were in London to talk Angel Di Maria with Manchester United representatives, they apparently had a chat with Liverpool about left-back Lucas Digne.

French media outlet Canal Supporters say that talks are underway about the 22-year-old left-back who wants to leave PSG for first-team football. The figure being mooted is £9m.


MORE ON LLORENTE TO ARSENAL
You may have read in Mediawatch that talk of Fernando Llorente to Arsenal lingers on, but Italian bull merchant/journalist Tancredi Palmeri has added to the speculation by suggesting that a bid of £5.7m has been made.

Did he get that from Friday's Sun too?


TOTTENHAM TO START SPENDING
We have been wondering when Tottenham would notice that they have only one proper striker, and it seems like 'this week' is the answer.

According to the Evening Standard, 'Tottenham are ready to kick-start a frantic month of activity in the transfer market by making a bid to sign Saido Berahino and Yannick Bolasie.'

Tottenham could bid an initial £15m for Berahino but are likely to be asked for north of £20m, while the chances of them getting Bolasie seem to be slim: Alan Pardew has talked about a prohibitive £40m price tag.

The Standard go on to claim that Charlie Austin and Victor Moses are also on Mauricio Pochettino's wanted list, but the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Roberto Soldado, Aaron Lennon, Vlad Chiriches, Federico Fazio and Andros Townsend may have to be offloaded first.


NO TOON MOVE FOR SHAQIRI
'Newcastle United are not in the hunt for Xherdan Shaqiri - despite being linked with the former Bayern Munich man,' claim the usually reliable Newcastle Evening Chronicle.

The club are said to be 'working privately on other deals' that don't involve a Swiss nearly man who is being touted around clubs like a basket of whelks and mussels.


BRADY TO COST A BUNCH
Doesn't really work as a headline, but I can't be blamed for trying to make it so.

Anyway, Norwich's entire summer spending currently equates to.... erm, nothing, so it's great to see that they are finally bringing in a player for a fee. Otherwise they're surely going down.

What might not be so sexy is learning that Norwich are planning to spend £7m on Robbie Brady. I mean he's half-decent of course, but he didn't score a Premier League goal as Hull were relegated.

IT'S ABOUT THE SAME PRICE AS JORDY CLASIE. Sorry, I had to shout that.


MORE ON RAMOS
Despite the reports of the new deal below, the Guardian (via Sid Lowe) report that, whilst a contract has not been agreed, Ramos has been told in no uncertain terms that he will not be leaving Real Madrid this summer.

It is not clear what Ramos' reaction is to that, but one would suspect him unlikely to force through a deal given his popularity among the club's supporters.

United had insisted that David de Gea would not be sold if Ramos wasn't coming to England, but with Sergio Romero now signed it remains to be seen whether they stick to that plan.


N'DOYE TO BESIKTAS
Sunday brought ludicrous rumours of Besiktas interest in Danny Welbeck, but it looks like the Turkish side will settle for a slightly less auspicious name (but one that scored more Premier League goals than Welbeck last season).

Turkish Football are reporting that Besiktas are close to announcing the signing of Dame N'Doye from Hull City for £2m.

N'Doye has a mightily impressive record, scoring 82 times in 150 appearances for FC Copenhagen before his five goals in 15 games failed to keep Hull in the Premier League. No blame attached to him for that.


NEW DEAL FOR RAMOS?
Many Manchester United fans will already have given up hope of signing Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid, but we might be set for the final confirmation.

The Daily Mail is reporting that Ramos is very close to signing a new deal with Real Madrid, after extended discussions with Florentino Perez.

It would represent the third time that United have gone after a player this summer, only for them to sign a new contract with their existing club. The suspicion is that players have used United interest to get a bigger pay packet. Can't blame them, really.


AND THE REST AT 11.15am
Wolfsburg won't force Kevin de Bruyne to stay... Charlie Austin is reportedly close to a move to Newcastle... QPR want to sign James Perch from Wigan... QPR also want Adlene Guedioura from Crystal Palace... Aston Villa have signed Jose Angel Crespo... Rennes are lining up an offer for reported Manchester United and Stoke target Abdul Majeed Waris... Steve Bruce says Ryan Taylor and Sam Clucas will be Hull City players by Wednesday... Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher could join Swansea.


CHELSEA TO SIGN STRIKER
Let's play a game.

The Daily Star has the following headline: 'Chelsea on brink of announcing fourth summer signing as striker closes on transfer.'

So, can you guess who the striker is?

No, sorry. It's 17-year-old Jamaican forward Leon Bailey, who currently plays for FC Trenci in Slovakia.

Apparently Chelsea plan to sign Bailey before sending him out on a long-term loan. In other news, the world keeps on spinning.


DIABY REJECTS WEST BROM
There had been reports that Abou Diaby had progressed as far as his West Brom medical (no laughing), but it now seems as if he has rejected a move to the Hawthorns.

Instead, Diaby looks set to join Marseille, which would be a great move for him. French football journalist Matt Spiro reports that Diaby will receive a low basic wage but with pay-as-you-play bonuses, which seems logical.

Having made 22 appearances in four years, Diaby will presumably be happy to just stay fit. Walk before you can run, would seem to be the salient advice.


CAVANI TO UNITED
'Man United 'desperate' to sign €85 Cavani as Herrera linked with move away,' reads the headline on the Irish Independent website. We're going to go ahead and assume they mean €85m.

They are only taking the lead from the Daily Star, which generally means a pretty sh*tty dance. The claim is that Cavani will be part of the deal that sees Angel Di Maria move to Paris.

We'll say what we always say on this kind of speculation: How often do swap deals actually happen?


SPURS BID FOR LEROY SANE
News from Germany now, and football magazine Kicker. They claim that Tottenham have bid £8.5m for Schalke youngster Leroy Sane.

Sane is still just 19, but broke into Schalke's team last season. He is an attacking midfielder, which isn't exactly Spurs' priority.

It's also worth mentioning that Schalke are reported to have rejected the bid instantly, and will not sell Sane for another two years at least. So there.


CHELSEA TO IMPROVE STONES BID
Jose Mourinho has been playing the 'What? Who? Me?' card in relation to Chelsea's interest in John Stones, but reports suggest that the club will improve their bid for the Everton defender to £26m in the coming couple of days.

The Guardian claim that Mourinho has not been put off by Roberto Martinez's anger at their approach, which isn't surprising. They also believe that Stones is keen on the move, with the chance to impress in the Champions League obviously a massive draw.

After a summer in which Chelsea's rivals have spent big, Stones would represent their first big plunge in the transfer market. Are Chelsea in danger of treading water?


HIGUAIN TO CITY
Monday marks two years to the day since Gonzalo Higuain joined Napoli from Real Madrid, but rumours are now abound that he is set to leave Italy.

The Sun report that City are prepared to offer £45m for the Argentinean, who could form a dreamy partnership with Sergio Aguero. With Stevan Jovetic joining Internazionale and Edin Dzeko seemingly close to a move away from Manchester, Manuel Pellegrini is suddenly very light on strikers. There is a lot of faith being placed in Aguero's pesky hamstrings.

Higuain isn't universally rated as a world-class striker, but he has scored goals in Serie A at a rate of better than one every 150 minutes. For a team that failed to finish in the top two in either of his seasons at Napoli, that's not bad at all.


ARSENAL FRONT OF LLORENTE QUEUE
And so say everyone. Well, the Metro start by saying that Llorente to Arsenal is close to being done. Which of course we don't believe, because it's the Metro.

In their piece they refer to the Daily Telegraph, but they themselves are being nothing more than a conduit for somebody else's claims. In this case they link to the Daily Express.

The Daily Express then link to Tuttosport, but Tuttosport's last story regarding Llorente and Arsenal came three days ago.

Arsenal are close to signing Llorente like I'm close to shifting this added BBQ weight. It's all based on good intentions but a lack of will from the most important party.


AND THE REST
Paris Saint-Germain have denied making an £85m offer for Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo...Fabricio Coloccini is at the centre of a tug-of-war between Newcastle and Crystal Palace...Southampton flop Emmanuel Mayuka is set to join Spartak Moscow after being stripped of a squad number...Borussia Dortmund's £16m-rated forward Adrian Ramos is set to snub Crystal Palace and West Brom...Everton manager Roberto Martinez has refused to rule out making a move to sign Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk, with the Scottish club reportedly wanting £10million...Swansea will move for Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor if they lose Bafetimbi Gomis to Dubai-based Al Ahli...Arsene Wenger has confirmed that youngster Jeff Reine-Adelaide will not leave Arsenal on loan next season.

Aston Villa: Jordan Ayew completes move from Lorient

Aston Villa have signed Ghana striker Jordan Ayew on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

The 23-year-old, who joins from Lorient in France's Ligue 1, helped his country to second place in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
Villa were in the market for a striker after selling Belgian Christian Benteke to Liverpool for £32.5m.
Ayew's arrival follows Villa's summer acquisition of fellow Ligue 1 players Jordan Amavi and Idrissa Gueye.
The Midlanders, who also lost Fabian Delph to Manchester City, have signed Scott Sinclair, Micah Richards and Mark Bunn since the end of last season.
"I'm really pleased to bring Jordan to the football club," manager Tim Sherwood said.
"He is a fantastic young player who is perfectly suited to the Premier League."
His older brother, Andre Ayew, moved to Swansea City after leaving Marseille in June.

Injured Abdullahi out of Dream Team’s Congo clash

Dream Team VI midfielder, Shehu Abdullahi , has been ruled out of Nigeria’s all-important CAF U-23 Championship second leg qualifier against Congo on account of injury, africanFootball.com reports.
The defensive midfielder or right fullback was expected to join the team training camp in Port Harcourt on Monday.
The Uniao da Maderia of Portugal midfielder told africanFootball.com he suffered the injury while in action for his Portuguese club in a pre-season game in Porto on Sunday night.
“I am out of the U-23 game because I am injured. I suffered a hamstring injury today (Sunday) while in action for my team in the final game of the pre-season, which we lost 1-2 to Boavista,” Abdullahi told africanFootball.com.
“I am disappointed with the injury because my mind was on the game, I have no choice but to pull out.
“I will communicate to the coach and another official of the U-23 team to tell them about the situation.”