₦airaland Forum

TheSuperNerd:
I have already dropped that David Ormstein report here.

I didn't see it. Wonder why the Nigerian media is still running with his proposed move to Arsenal since Arsenal aren't really interested.

TheSuperNerd:
About work permit for Henry, I did mention when asked sometime ago that it is multifaceted and has points for different parameters considered like the transfer fee, League performance for previous club, Influence at previous club, International games for national team, Prospective Weekly wage , etc.... All these and a few more counts towards points to be obtained to meet the requirements of the Work permit office/dept of Britain.
........................................................................................



Arsenal must increase their bid by £1Million to snap up teenager
By David Tully


Arsenal will have to pay an additional £1m, and increase their proposed salary for Eupen winger Henry Onyekuru if they want to land the Nigerian, according to Daily Mail journalist Simon Jones .

The 19 year old has yet to play for Nigeria’s senior side (well, he has featured for the team now anyway) and is not a EU national so the Gunners will need a work permit if they want to sign the forward.


Increasing their offer from £6.8m to £7.85m and upping his wages to £35,000 a week will give the player additional points on his work visa application, and increases the likelihood of a permit being given.


Onyekuru is being chased by a long list of Premier League and European clubs after a very good season in the Belgian league.

He scored 12 goals from 28 games during the regular season for Eupen, and followed that up with another ten goals in ten appearances during the league’s playoff round, predominantly playing on the left wing.


Source: https://gunnersphere.com/2017/06/tabloid-talk/arsenal-must-increase-their-bid-by-1m-to-sign-teenager/

Onyekuru's proposed move to Arsenal looks like a smoke screen after all atleast according to the reliable BBC reporter David Ornstein.
According to the reporter, Arsenal have made no bid for Onyekuru.
Looks like Onyekuru's agents have been working overtime.

Icon4s:
Funny.

Shits happen in football. That was one of them. You also recal Omeruo's heroics againts Drogba at the 2013 AFCON? That was then and this is now.

What matters most are his current abilities. Omeruo is a proven player. I would rather start him than start Awaziem against SA.

I know about Omeruo's abilities. I will always rate him as one of our better defenders.
However, I'm looking at his frame of mind playing against SA again, knowing fully well that the last time he cost the country an AFCON qualification.

All these could be playing on his mind and physiologically, he might want to be too careful this time which would open him up for errors.

Against another opposition, I will start Omeruo but not this one.

Icon4s:
Who would you rather recommend for the game against SA?

For the Rb/LB I will prefer Shehu/Elderson started.
Throwing Ebuehi straight into the deep end is a huge risk, which won't be a smart decision at all.

Icon4s:
After the two friendlies, baring any injuries and withdrawals or changes my predicted starting 11 against SA: 4-2-3-1

...................Akpeyi

Shehu..Omeruo..Ekong..Echiejile

.....Ndidi (DM)..Onazi/Agu(CM)


Musa....Iwobi...Etebo

........Iheanacho

I don't know if it will be a good idea starting Omeruo against South Africa. The last time he played against them in the same stadium, he was twisted in knots by the Bafana boys.

Physiologically I don't know what his frame of mind will be facing same opposition (Ranti) once again in Uyo.
It's better he stayed out of this one.

Icon4s:
I do not know what else this Shehu Abdulahi needs to prove that he is our best RB at the moment.

We saw him in the Egypt double header, we saw him at Rio, we saw him at 2015 CHAN. We saw him replace Omeruo at RB against Algeria.


We have not yet secured Ola Aina and Ebuehi seems not to be ready for the task so I think Shehu is the man for the RB job for now.

He's not a definite starter for Rohr because he plays in Cyprus.
If he moved on to a better league, say the French league, Rohr won't have any other choice than to trust him for the starting role.

His maturity, experience, versatility and ability should be an asset

TheGoodJoe:
Disagree with the emphasis on physicality. Mobility, technicality and intuition are important parts of defence in the modern game. Even a big defender like Kompany relies more on the technical aspects of the game.

From Romagnoli to Hummels, Otamendi, Stones, Matip, Bailly, Luiz, Silva etc are more inclined towards the technical and mobile side. Like the set up of our defenders.

You just had to include those Manchester City defenders.

It appears Musa's new wife is hitting the right notes on our guy.
Fear calabar girls

2 nil? Lol

I hear we have made progress on the FIFA ranking of this month. Currently ranked 38th in the world and 4th in Africa behind Egypt, Senegal and Cameroun in that order.
If we beat South Africa, we could end up inside the top 35 next month by my calculations.

sontoly:
Brother, if kayode is as good as you think, he would av been in a better club last yr na, look at henry for example he just performed just this season and clubs r hustling for him, kayode won highest goal scorer with just 17 goals, but henry scored 22 goals but still cldnt win highest goal award, it shows you that Austrian league is not even competitive to Belgium league talk more of EPL.

Sometimes stats can be subjective. If Kayode won the top scorer with 17 goals while Henry couldn't win with 24 goals, it simply tells me that the Austrian league is tougher and defences are tighter than the league in Belgium.
Rating a player by the club he plays is not good analysis, when you factor in that the last 2 Premier league Mvps, Mahrez and Kante were playing at a very low level in France just a couple of seasons back before taking the Epl by storm and smashing every record on their way to success.

sontoly:
Oga your sentiment is highly noted, from what you just said I believe you don't like iheanacho, but right now he is the best striker we have in camp. I watched the friendly against Senegal where he (iheanacho) missed two chances, one was a very clear chance while the other was partially not his fault cos the defenders was already around him.
But you refused to see the clear chance kayode wasted also in that match, what he needed was just touch the ball and it will be at the back of the net, but he fluffed, that was his first match.
Am not saying he isn't good cos that was his best chance in that game, but you can't compare him to Iheanacho.

I don't think Kelechi is that better than Kayode Olarenwaju who have been the highest scoring Nigerian player in Europe over the last 2 seasons.
That is not a record to be waved aside.

I know the question about the strength of the league he plays in will be pointed at, but when you consider that most goals Kelechi have scored in the Epl have been close range tap ins, one can argue that Kayode can score those goals all things being equal.
Don't throw Kayode under the bus. He's better than that.

TheSuperNerd:
Six Facts About New Super Eagles Invitee Maroof Youssef

https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Maarouf-yussuf.jpg



After handing debuts to Kayode Olanrewaju, Isaac Success and Tyronne Ebuehi, Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has called up Zanalek player Maroof Youssef for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa in Uyo.

Here are some of the interesting facts about Yussuf presented by Completesportsnigeria.com's JOHNNY EDWARD:


1. Youssef has made 27 appearances and scored three goals for Zamalek in the Egyptian top flight this season. He has played 114 games and scored three goals since joining the club four years ago.

2. Youssef joined Zamalek for a fee of €200,000 after spending three years at another Egyptian club El Shorta. His market value has risen to €800,000 following his stellar performance in the Egyptian league.

3. He has won four trophies since joining Egyptian giants Zamalek in 2014: The Egyptian Premier League in 2014-15, Egypt Cup in 2015, 2016 and the Egyptian Super Cup in 2016.

4. The 24-year-old left-footed midfielder is in the squad as a back-up to Elderson Echiejile at left-back.

5. Yussuf never played for any team in the Nigerian Professional Football League before going to Egypt. He becomes the latest player in the current Super Eagles squad who never featured for an NPFL side: Ogenyi Onazi, Wilfred Ndidi, John Ogu, Mikel Agu, Victor Osimhen, Henry Onyekuru, Tyronne Ebuehi, Alex Iwobi, Chidozie Awaziem and Dele Alampasu are the others.

6. Yussuf can play comfortably in two different positions – left-back and central midfield.


Source: http://www.completesportsnigeria.com/six-facts-new-super-eagles-invitee-maarouf-yussuf/

From the little I saw of Yousef in some champions league games, he was pretty solid. I think I mentioned him on this thread awhile ago with his teammate Stanley Ohuawuchi who have been very good. I never really rated Stanley when he played for the John Obuh U17 but he's turning out to be a beast for Zamalek.

Congratulations to Yousef, however the only snag I find in his game is his inability to out run his opponent over a 10yards dash. He's not the quickest left back I've ever seen to put it mildly. Other aspects of his game is fairly solid. And yes, he delivers good corner kicks.

The last I saw Zamalek play, he delivered a corner kick which Ohuawuchi scored off from his first touch coming in as a sub.

Icon4s:
Hahahaha, i chose to be a bystander in this argument. As you guys know already, I don't rate young players that highly. So I don't go mcuh into debates on issues concerning young players. A good number of them(most infact) end up not measuring up to expectations.

There are certain arguments about young players that I engage in. Not this type.

Talking about being a politician, that's funny to me.
I think people who have been long here enough already know my stand as per choice of players or players selection.

Me i no dey look face to tell anybody here how I feel about him or her. Forgiveness and Komekn know me for that.

This is exactly what a politician would say

Kog45:
goldfish80 u need to take Icon4 to forumite court.Kai Icon4 don sabi everybody,don't be surprised coz some monikers know u (Icon4) too.

I'm not surprised. We know ourselves on this thread

The centre stage was already set with TheGoodJoe, Safarigirl and thesupernerd taking sides with Iheanacho,very predictable lineup. iI think the three of them are friends in real life

micheal2, chrisoblog and edi holding the front for Kylian Lottini. Imagine, I would have been on the same page as Micheal2, what a scary thought.

Icon4s as usual will be a bystander in this sort of debate ( he sounds like a politician sometimes)

Komekn would have given the argument an English/European perspective.

Tbaba1234 will offer a global perspective while being careful not to hurt the feelings of the Iheanacho team.

BascoVanVeli, this one is like weather. He could swing to any side at any moment.

This thread is like a clown bus. With all the characters well represented.

Icon4s:
See as I just dey look una.

Me no wan put mouth for this is una Mbappe Vs Iheanacho argument.

I already knew those that would be on Iheanacho's side and those that will be on Mbappe's side.

If someone like Goldfish80 comes I know which side he would take.

If oga joseph1014 comes I know which side he will take.

But if someone like forgiveness comes he will not take any sides for this kind players for obvious reasons.

I just dey look una.

Thank goodness I wasn't involved in the debate. Otherwise people would have mistook me for being unpatriotic.

Icon4s:
Meanwhile Mali retained their U17 title with a 1-0 win over Ghana.

Congratulations to the Malians.

Ghana should take consolation with the fact that they presented a highly skilled, mobile and a very talented team. They both are winners in my opinion.

justiz5:
How old is he

Only age? Baba why not ask me what he had for breakfast.

tbaba1234:
According to a report by owngoalnigeria.com, Isaac Success requested a three day break to rest before joining the team. And Rohr asked him not to bother to come at all.

He was hardly playing all season, why is he asking for break? Onyekuru and Kayode who have been active all season are not asking for breaks.

Isaac looks very lazy. Maybe Success came too early for him.
*pun intended

komekn:
I agree with your opinion 100%.

However, the mentality of our Managers and recruitment teams is so age biased it is unbelievable.

A boy of 17 can be rated higher than a player of 23 who is much better on the basis of future potential.

However if you have had the opportunity to prove your quality age will be ignored. Example of Jermain Defoe at 34 Bournemouth are paying him £130k a week new signing.

Sometimes I don't blame Africans for age cheating it's the only way to get an opportunity.

If I was to say to a premiership team I have an excellent player who is 25 in Sweden there will be no interest WHATSOEVER. However, if I say I have an excellent 16/17 year old we will have discussions.

Can you explain what you mean by owner please TPI has been outlawed by FIFA in Europe since 2015.

Most players in the NPFL are on loan from various grassroot teams. In this case he is a property of a team called Oakzeal academy on loan to Rangers.
That is the reason why Rangers had their hands tied when he travelled out to Tunisia. They couldn't recall him,they no get mouth.

However, Rangers will be due to get a cut from any deal he signs. Player ownership in Nigeria is complicated. You could be dealing with chains and chains of owners. Everybody wants a cut. Remember Sunday Mbah's case? That's a child's play with player ownership tussle with the local teams here.

I suspect that was the same case with Stephen Odeh and his botched trials. His direct owners got him a trial in Europe without the knowledge of MFM.

Even Etebor was not a direct property of Warri Wolves. You can do your investigations.

komekn:
The harsh unfair reality of football marketing and value is that it is intrinsically linked to age.

There are a lot of players if they were found to be older probably would still be stuck in Nigeria. As a result age cheating is not just rife be essentially necessary.

Bring honest about your age may reduce your value before you even get an opportunity to show your worth, ability and potential.

European football recruitment managers know that African ages are unverifiable but if there is money to be made they do not care.

All these our teenage stars would probably find it a lot more difficult if they were in thier early to mid twenties.

So he is paying the price for honesty and truth. However, you know with God all things are possible. He may still get an opportunity, football is about opportunity. But he has to keep playing.

The issue with Chisom's real age is a matter of principle as I was made to understand.
His owner, a pastor and former Rangers player, Austen Igweokolo have a strong conviction that he only takes in players with their real age, that's his policy.

However, at 25 he could still very much play at the top level till age 33 which is about 8years.

An investment you can get 7-8 years of good service cannot be bad investment in my opinion.

Icon4s:
From the way you described him I was thinking he should be like 16-18.

Since he was just signed some weeks back from a grassroot academy, he could well be that young...... I can't stick my head out on a chopping board for someone who is not my family member.
What I know was that I saw a proper talent. A first class nibble footed forward in the mould of Mbappe. Although he has the tendency to play to the gallery, but for the life of me, he is damn super good.

Icon4s:
Early 20s?

So why were you referring to him as a kid?

I was just speculating. He could be more or less, I'm not his relative so I can't tell his age with a degree of certainty.

Icon4s:
After reading through the first 1 or 2 paragraphs the next thing I started searching for was his age.

I lost interest when I couldn't find his age.

Our journalists can do better.

The little I know about him is that he was signed during the last local transfer window from the same grassroot team which produced Obinna Nwobodo. Ifeanyi Uba wanted to sign him up but he insisted he's only going to play for Rangers.
I hear Rangers put on hold signing another equally talented prodigy from the same team named Uzoh.
He could be in his early 20's .

I think I should bring this to the notice of folks here. This Ebuka Okeke kid is something special. I caught the last 35 mins of this encounter against Gombe, one word to describe what I saw was "WOW". This kid dazzled, teased skipped past people for fun all night long. Before he scored the winner, he left about 3 players on their backside before the goalkeeper foiled his attempt. He basically scored with the last kick of the game, after skipping past 2 people and finishing in the bottom corner.
I make bold to say he is the Nigerian version of Mbappe. Anyone opportuned to watch a Rangers game should keep an eye out for the No 9. He is the real deal.
....................................





From Obiagu comes Ebuka, the new hero at Rangers


Rangers left it late to secure victory over troubled Gombe United in Sunday's Match Day 20 encounter in Enugu. It took the brilliant intervention of home boy Ebuka Okeke to score the game's winner after 93 minutes to send the home fans celebrating.
Godwin Aguda had replied Waheed Afolabi's shocking opener for the visitors in first half stoppage time but with both teams poised to end another tumultuous clash in stalemate just like in the reverse fixture in Gombe, substitute Okeke who had been lively since he came on for Bobby Clement just before the hour mark received the ball from Omo Johnson down the left flank, beat two of his markers on the run before opening himself up to curl home the winner into the bottom corner.
The excitement and celebrations that trailed Okeke's winner among the home fans were in two folds. One was the delight of winning such a difficult game at the death and secondly, the fact that the winner came from a son of the soil, and right in front of the stands where fans from his clan, Obiagu, a crowded low income district in Enugu known to produce football and music stars
"I feel great. I am very happy to score and win the match," Okeke told www.npfl.ng
The FC Inter of Enugu product made his Rangers debut early this month when he came on as a second half substitute in a rescheduled Match Day 18 game against league leaders Plateau United. He barely had a touch of the ball after coming on in stoppage time for Chidera Eze but on Sunday, he had 30 minutes or more to make an impression and he grabbed the opportunity.
"It's a dream come true to play for Rangers. I was happy to make the team against Plateau but I didn't have enough time to show what I can do.
"When I had the chance again on Sunday, I just prayed to God to help me and he answered me," stated the nimble footed lad.
Okeke made his full Rangers debut in Match Day 19 against Gombe United in Gombe and he acknowledges the intensity of the NPFL but thanked his teammates who he said have made it easy for him to adapt to the elite division.
"It's not easy (to play in the NPFL)," he noted. "But my teammates have helped me settle. They have always encouraged me and I truly appreciate them".
Victory over Gombe United lifted Rangers to 14th on the log but just two points clear of the relegation zone after twenty round of matches this season. When asked if he is confident the champions will avoid relegation, he retorted:
"God forbid! We will not relegate."
The consensus among the locals in the Coal City is that a new hero is born. The acceptance they have for this lad from Enugu North Local Government Area is one that can only be accorded to a long sought Messiah. Ebuka Okeke's performance in the remaining 18 league games will go a long way in corroborating their belief or evaporating same.
http://npfl.ng/index.php/news-features/club-news/2227-from-obiagu-comes-ebuka-the-new-hero-at-rangers

tbaba1234:
If Chisom was 18-22, I would have said, good move.. He has time. He is already in his mid 20s. Meaning, he has less time.

He has not played a single second, since he joined. That is terrible. Not even when they are chasing a goal. This is a mid table Swedish side. He has not been injured because he is usually on the bench.

Next year, he is 26 and could have had a less than remarkable season in Sweden. He will be getting to the age where Europeans do not risk buying African players.

Are you saying nobody have moved on from Sweden at the age of 26? Even at 27 he can still get a decent move. Let's not write him off because he was honest about his age.
I understand your apprehension about his lack of game time but it could be attributed to getting him settled in first. It took Ndidi months before he settled in Belgium. The league in Sweden is just about 2 months old. Whenever he's settled in, he will be unstoppable. He's that talented, ask anyone who followed the npfl last season.

tbaba1234:
I did not 'change' my opinion. I have always held that opinion. My grouse with Chisom move is that we should be expecting better moves for the player of the year, not a loan move to Sweden. He still has not played since he got to Sweden.

I recall telling you that Sweden was a good launch pad for a young player like Chisom to make a bigger move to a better league, a fact you disputed citing academy players move to big clubs from Nigeria. You will excuse me if I'm a bit surprised you're proposing the same Sweden as a gateway to bigger leagues.

From reports, I understand Chisom is doing well and his club are very happy with him so much that they have paid off his loan fee. He even scored a brace in a friendly. Why he haven't featured in the league remains unknown. The league in Sweden is still young, I know he will get his chance at some point. The loan arrangement could work in favour of his owners, he could hit a run for form during the season( he is more than capable of this) , which could see his price tag triple in advantage this owners and a loss for Haecken.

tbaba1234:
Hungary is Central Europe and i do not even know anything about their league.

It depends on the country. In Eastern Europe, Russia and Ukraine have better leagues than most of Scandinavia but it might be easier to get to one of the bigger leagues from Sweden or Norway .

I see you have had a change of opinion at the bolded. I recall when you made an arguement about Chisom's move to Sweden as relatively obscure for a player of his profile. Perhaps you read Attah Aneke's interview.

tbaba1234:
Terrible news.

Obinna Nwobodo has joined a side in Hungary.

Hungary? Seriously, that is just depressing. Where is the progress from there?

Joseph1013, Icon4s, TheSuperNerd

On the face value it looks a bad move owing to the obscurity of the Hungarian league but a star will always be a star. He could be fished out by a network of scouts even plying his trade in Budapest.
It will amaze you to know with how detailed these sophisticated scouting softwares are. In a year or two, he could move on to a higher level.

This is one of the reasons I clamour for the inclusion of exceptional home based players to the national team, even if it is to train with the team which will in turn boost their market value and raise the profile of such players. A player is more marketable to the better leagues if he is within the corridors of the national team.

joseph1013:
Pleasantly surprised as well. The boy sure wants in on the actions in the Eagles.

I hope he's not on steroids or growth hormonal drugs. The rapid growth looks abnormal to me.

tbaba1234:
Yea, that is Tyronne.

He looks massive. Infact, he looks the biggest guy in camp from the pictures. How did he gain such mass from the frail looking boy I saw the last time?

tbaba1234:
That's Ekong not Ebuehi

The big fella bringing up the rear is Tyrone, zoom in you will see. Ekong is leading the work out from the front.