Nigerian Football
Napoli slams heavy price tag on Osimhen amidst Manchester United’s interest
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Following the interest that Manchester United have shown in having Nigeria’s in-form striker, Victor Osimhen, Napoli have indicated willingness to sell the star player if the club wins the Serie A.
With the Serie A at midway to conclusion, Osimhen has been the arrowhead that has seen Napoli taking a comfortable lead and having 12 points ahead of second-placed AC Millan.
Winning the Serie A is not the only condition attached to the salle of Osimhen to the Premier League side, Manchester United will need to fork out €120million for the striker’s signature.
Osimhen is on a shortlist of three world-class forwards that the resurging Manchester United are looking forward to. The others are Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Goncalo Ramos of Benfica.
If Manchester United succeded in getting Osimhen, the striker will be the third ever Nigerian to feature for the club.
Before him were Odion Ighalo who was a surprise signing on the last day of 2020 January transfer window and Remi Moses, a defensive midfielder in the 1980s.
Moses played for West Bromwich Albion under Ron Atkinson in the late 1970s and moved to Manchester United in 1981, making his debut for the Red Devils on September 19, 1981 against Swansea City.
He was such a good player that he was nearly capped for England in 1985 before a career-threatening injury ruled him out and was later to miss almost the entire 1985-86 season.
As Manchester United prepare for significant off-season investment Erik ten Hag’s team is all out for for a high profile striker that will likely take up a huge portion of the summer budget.
The preferred option, according to Manchester Evening News is Osimhen following his impressive haul of 13 goals in 15 Serie A appearances to put Napoli 12 points clear at the top of the table and on course for a first scudetto since 1990.
And according to Sky Italy’s Gianluca Di Marzio Luciano Spalletti’s side may be more open to selling their star, should they go all the way.
But United will likely face competition from a number of Europe’s top clubs come summer and could be forced into a bidding war.
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.
The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.
That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.
Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.
The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.
Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.
Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.
Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.
Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!
Nigeria on 8 October
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
- 2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.
Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.
It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.
Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85th minute.
Sunday Results
- Kwara United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Rangers International 1-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland FC 2-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
- Plateau United 1-0 Ikorodu City
- Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United
- Enyimba 3-0 Katsina United* Suspended
- Nasarawa 0-0 Bayelsa United
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