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Osimhen’s Absence: Five Quality Alternatives To Transform Rohr’s S’Eagles

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It is no longer news that the Super Eagles’ biggest star at the moment, Victor Osimhen, is out of the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in January.
The Napoli striker suffered a terrible injury last weekend that damaged his face and required surgery.
Even though the complicated surgical operation was a success, the surgeon who worked on the 22-year-old has confirmed that the youngster is not expected to take to a football pitch for another two months.
That dashes any hope any Super Eagles fan has of the Napoli lad miraculously making a quick recovery and being a part of the party to Cameroon less than six weeks from today.
Needless to say, Osimhen is a massive loss for the Nigerian national team. The former Lille star has shouldered the Super Eagles’ goalscoring burden almost effortlessly since Odion Ighalo first announced his retirement from the team.
Osimhen scored five goals in six games to help the Gernot Rohr-led side qualify for the AFCON with a game to spare. And he delivered four more goals during the World Cup qualifying campaign to power the Eagles to the playoff round.
His ten goals and six assists in his last 16 appearances across two years paint the picture of a striker who thrives, not only at club level but also in the green-and-white colours.
Rohr will struggle to replace Osimhen’s energy, industry, and quality in attack, especially with little time available for the Super Eagles to adapt to playing with a new number nine.
Nigerian attackers have hit a purple patch in Europe at the moment, and it appears every major club already has one or is targeting to sign one.
At a point in the summer, Genk had four Nigerian forwards on their payroll, while Watford had two. From Union Berlin in the German Bundesliga to Slovan Bratislava in the Slovakian Fortuna Liga, there is at least one Nigerian forward delivering the goods regularly.
There is, therefore, a long list of strikers, head coach Gernot Rohr can choose from to improve the Super Eagles’ forward line.
Bar any major surprises, Genk’s Paul Onuachu, Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho, and Al Shabab’s Odion Ighalo already make up the bulk of the attackers Rohr will take to Cameroon in January.
But Onuachu is not fast enough for the kind of football Rohr wants his team to play. The German gaffer does not trust Iheanacho to lead the attack all on his own, and it is evident that age and the Saudi Arabian Pro League have slowed down Ighalo more than a bit.
Rohr and his assistants, therefore, need to look further than their noses and give a chance to one or two of the strikers who are painting Europe red with goals.
One of which is Union Berlin’s Taiwo Awoniyi. It is so difficult to look past a striker who has been tested in the Belgian and Dutch leagues and is presently flourishing in the German top-flight.
The 24-year-old is not Osimhen, but he is also strong, fast, and troubles defenders with his tireless pressing and endless running. The former Liverpool signing recently became Union Berlin’s record goalscorer in the Bundesliga, and it still beggars belief that he has only one Super Eagles cap to his name.
Watford’s Emmanuel Dennis is another name that should catch Rohr’s attention. The 24-year-old has not played more than 11 minutes in each of the three times he has featured for the Super Eagles, but his talent is undeniable.
And he is currently displaying it on the most glamorous stage of all, the English Premier League. The former Club Brugge star has four goals and five assists in nine league games for the Hornets and was the architect of Manchester United’s 4-1 thrashing at the Vicarage Road last weekend.
He can play anywhere in the front three, but through the centre is where he could be most devastating for the Eagles.
There is also Umar Sadiq. The former U-23 star has been Nigeria’s brightest shining star in the Spanish second division, and there is a reason why he is linked to Barcelona, Newcastle, Sevilla, and some other notable clubs on the continent.
Sadiq has pace, holds the ball well, and scores goals for fun. His commitment to Almeria has made him snub a couple of Rohr’s invitations before, but who can say no to a chance to be at Africa’s biggest football festival?
And there is Cyriel Dessers. The Feyenoord man is an old-fashioned fox-in-the-box type of striker who is blessed with two good feet.
The Genk-owned forward is building a reputation in the Netherlands as a supersub, but he can certainly get the job done from kick-off, as he showed many times at Heracles.
And it is almost unforgivable that he has made just one appearance for the Super Eagles after committing to Nigeria ahead of Belgium.
Another forward whose form could pave the way for a maiden call-up is Slovan Bratislava’s Ezekiel Henty.
A powerful presence in the box and adept at sticking the ball in the back of the net, Henty is Nigeria’s most prolific striker in Europe at this point, with 14 goals across all competitions.
The 28-year-old attacker looks like a fine blend of a right-footed Iheanacho and a faster Ighalo. He may, however, not have the international experience required to keep Onuachu and Ighalo on the Eagles bench at a major tournament.
Other notable mentions include Venezia’s David Okereke, Randers’ Stephen Odey, Lorient’s Terem Moffi, Trabzonspor’s Anthony Nwakaeme, Slavia Prague’s Peter Olayinka, and, Sivasspor’s Olanrewaju Kayode. They have all shown their quality in recent times and should at least get a look-in from Rohr.
The Super Eagles and their fans should not give up the hopes of a fourth continental title charge because of Osimhen’s injury and expected absence. It is not over yet.
The introduction of a reliable striking replacement and adequate technical input from the coaching crew can make the 2013 Afcon champions the team to beat in Cameroon.

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Osimhen Rejects Napoli’s Salary Cut

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Victor Osimhen has rejected a huge pay cut by Napoli and a new contract as his transfer saga remains unending with a week to the close of the window.
Despite the rumours, there has been no concrete offer for the Super Eagles striker with suggestions that he may end up staying put at Napoli.
Commentator Massimo Sparnelli revealed that Napoli proposed a pay cut, an extension of his contract until 2030, and make him the face of the Italian.
Osimhen is currently on over 10m Euros a year and his contract will run out in June 2026.
Napoli want him to agree to a lower salary of between 6m and 7m Euros a year.
“The player refused,” Sparnelli revealed to CalcioNapoli24.
“I can assure you that De Laurentiis made these proposals to him while promising to make the face of Napoli, but Osimhen refused.”

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Administrator Blames Shoddy Preparation For Nigeria’s Poor Olympic Outing

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An astute football administrator in the State Mr. Williams Mapuibi Inko has attributed the cause of Nigerian contingents’ dismal performance at the just concluded Paris 2024 Olympics Games to poor preparations from the authorities concerned.
Baring his mind to our reporter via telephone conversation recently, Mapuibi Inko maintained that there was no magic Nigeria athletes would have performed that would have guaranteed her a medal from the event, considering her poor level of preparation to the event competing against notable World Sports beaters on Parade.
“Honestly, the Nigerian athletes had hardly had enough and regular track and field event preparation before the championship, coupled with poor organization among the overbloated officials who were only interested in what they would gain as individuals from the two weeks outing”
On whether it will be ideal to sack the Sports Minister John Enoh, following the woeful out of the Nigerian athletes at the concluded Olympic games, the Outspoken Mapuibi Inko, who is the President of Diobu International All Stars Sports Club says he has some little reservation for now.
“Perhaps, I will subscribe that some professional and seasoned Sports administrator should be engaged to work with the Sports Minister so that different good ideas would be brought together to prosecute another major competitive event to guarantee better result of winning laurels at the end of the day”, he submitted.
In a different development, Mapuibi Inko has encouraged members of the Diobu All Stars International Sports Club to affirm faith and continue to imbibe the spirt of oneness with a view to strengthening the team for effective outings.
“Speaking to our reporter after taking a critical assessment of the club so far, Mapuibi Inko stated that it was a clear fact that Diobu International All Stars is on the right path of progress, having seen the vision of the Club towards ensuring that it’s dreams of hitting it big in the comity of other All-Stars Football Club in near future is actualized”
He further, posited that the Club which had been the cynosure of all eyes in Diobu axis is making frantic effort to acquire all necessary sporting facilities, ranging from Jersey, footballs etc. to enhance their routine football trainings at St Andrews School Field, Mile one Diobu, Port Harcourt.
“Besides, we are also training very assiduously to ensure that we are physically fit and capable to engage in any competitive matches within and outside the state”
“Again, we are equally looking forward to establishing a good working relationship with the Basic Senior Secondary School management Board as to intimate them more of our vision and readiness towards encouraging grassroots sport development in Post-Secondary Schools in Rivers State, aimed at catching them young”
The amiable Diobu International All Stars Sports Club boss, however, expressed happiness with the current improved numerical strength of the team, which according to him, is in line with the good ideal and vision of the Club right from its formation stage.

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Rangers Qualify For C.C.L 2nd Preliminary Round

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Reigning Nigeria league champions, Rangers International F.C has qualified for the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2024/2025 second preliminary round with a 2-1 aggregate win over Comoros Islands champions, U.S de Zilimadjou in the first preliminary round of the premier continental club competition.
In the second leg, first preliminary round game played inside Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Friday, August 23, 2024, the ‘Flying Antelopes’ were forced to a 1-1 draw by the tiny Island nation.
After both sides ended the first half on a goalless note, with begging chances fretted away by the home side, coach Fidelis Ilechukwu had to make quick substitutions that saw Kazeem Ogunleye and Chiedozie Okorie make way for Ekeson Okorie and Bashir Usman just ten minutes into the second stanza.
The substitution turned out to be an inspired one as Ekeson Okorie, in one of his dashing runs into the box was fouled and the referee wasted no time in pointing to the spot, and Kenechukwu Agu expertly converted for the opening goal of the encounter on the 79th minute to send the fans that thronged the stadium into a frenzy.
Youssouf Mohamed, however, drew the Comoros side level with just four minutes left on the clock as he nodded home an inviting cross that the Rangers backline found hard to defend just a few seconds after they missed a promising attacking move at the other end of the pitch.
Despite the draw, the Nigerian side progressed to the next round of the competition where they are scheduled to engage either St. Louis F.C of Seychelles or Sagrada Esperanca F.C of Angola with the Angolan side enjoying a 1-0 lead from the first leg played in Seychelles last week.
Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu in his post-match chat, said, “We are happy to have qualified for the next round of the competition even though when I believe that we did not up our game today against the Comoros champions. This goes a long way to show the mystery of the game of football. Sure, I am worried at our rate of converting chances but I am optimistic of getting over this challenge before the next window for new registration. I believe that the start of the new league season will go a long way in helping us stabilize with regards to cohesive play from my players.”

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