Osimhen Gunning For CAF YPOTY & Three Takeaways From Matches Involving Super Eagles Stars

Published: September 16, 2019

Izuchukwu Okosi takes a look at the takeaways from some league matches involving Nigerian players in Europe over the weekend.

1. Osimhen Is Already Gunning For Africa's Youth Player Of The Year Prize

Victor Osimhen on Friday continued his goal scoring streak for Lille as they defeated Angers SC 2-1.

That made it five goals in five matches for the former youth international in the Ligue 1, proving to be a good replacement for Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe whom the Gunners signed for £72m.

The way Osimhen is going, he is already in the running for the award of CAF's Youth Player Of The Year to be held in January 2020.

2. Tammy Abraham Must Remember Agbolanhor And Co

Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham is in the form of his life as he has already scored seven Premier League goals in five matches thus season.

The player is torn between playing for England where he was born and Nigeria, his paternal home.

The English feel they rightly deserve to cap these young African (and sadly) Nigerian players as reward for their football education as youngsters but if they were not if the requisite talent, the clubs and FA won't even talk about that investment.

Abraham must be spoken with, the NFF must remind him of other 'Forgotten' Nigerian English Players who played few games for England and were discarded.

And the introduction of the players' countries flags by the Premier League Production team (official television broadcasters of the Premier League) may have deeper meaning than it seems. Trust this. The commentators (Nigeria's Efan Ekoku one of them) may tell us more.

3. Iwobi Is Already 'Living His Dream' At Everton

Everton lost 3-1 to Bournemouth away on Sunday but Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi is surely enjoying his new lease of life at Merseyside.

The former Arsenal star has already scored twice in the Premier League and Carabao Cup but evidently manager Marco Silva considers him one of the Toffees' key players unlike at Arsenal where he was just a squad player - and not completely winning over the Gunners fans.

Gylfi Sigurdsson was substituted in the match on Sunday and Iwobi who was playing from the left wing had to be deployed in the attacking midfield role where he had always wanted to primarily play.

4. Leon Balogun Must Find A New Club

The sub headline says it all: the former Mainz 04 central defender who has not played a single minute of league football thus season so far must leave Brighton and soon enough to safe his career.

Balogun seems unable to dislodge the duo of Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk as the preferred duo in his position.

That has inadvertently affected his place in the national team as William Troost-Ekong and Kenneth Omeruo are first choice pairing.

Izuchukwu Okosi