Page 1 of 4
Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2020 11:46 pm
by danfo driver
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... gland.html
Nigeria accelerating plans to snatch Arsenal wonderkid Bukayo Saka from under the nose of England as Super Eagles look to call up youngster ahead of next round of international fixtures
- Nigeria are looking to tempt Bukayo Saka to snub England for the Super Eagles
- The Arsenal youngster has had an excellent breakthrough season at the club
- The 18-year-old has played at youth level for England but is still undecided
- Nigeria are planning to fast-track the youngster to the next senior squad
Nigeria are accelerating their attempts to snatch Arsenal wonderkid Bukayo Saka from England.
The 18-year-old is emerging as a real contender to break into Gareth Southgate's squad following a string of excellent displays for his club.
He has represented England at junior level and currently plays for the Under 19 side but he is in line — at the very least — for a promotion to the Under 21s.
Nigeria are looking to fast-track Bukayo Saka into the senior squad ahead of England
The Arsenal youngster has enjoyed a breakthrough season and is on the cusp of a call-up
Nigeria are prepared to fast-track the left-sided utility player into the senior set-up in the hope of persuading him to choose an international career with the Super Eagles.
Their ploy to tempt Saka has taken a back seat in recent weeks owing to the long delay in international football due to coronavirus. But with national team matches due to return in September, the Nigeria Football Federation will ramp up their efforts, with Saka still to make a final decision.
In recent years, Nigeria have successfully persuaded Alex Iwobi, Ola Aina and Victor Moses to switch allegiance from England.
He has represented England at youth level but is yet to make a decision on his future
Nigeria have persuaded the likes of Alex Iwobi and Victor Moses to snub England in the past
However, they failed in their bid to entice Chelsea pair Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori earlier this season after both players committed their international futures to England.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are readying their first move to try to tie down captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with a contract offer in the region of £250,000 a week before bonuses.
Aubameyang's deal, worth an initial £200,000 a week, expires next summer. Manager Mikel Arteta is keen for the striker's future to be resolved swiftly — telling the club this week 'the quicker we do it, for me personally, the better' — and an opening offer is set to be made.
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2020 11:46 pm
by danfo driver
I take it Saka's agent has fed this story to the press to put pressure on England
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 12:33 am
by Dammy
As good as Saka is, will he make the SE first XI?
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:04 am
by Tobi17
Dammy wrote:As good as Saka is, will he make the SE first XI?
Definitely, he will absolutely bench any player in that starting XI
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:05 am
by EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA
Dammy wrote:As good as Saka is, will he make the SE first XI?
Great point. Tbh, i think Ejuke is a better option at the LF position but he still has chukwueze, Kalu, Simon, Bonaventure and Iwobi to contend with. And Thats assuming Musa is done with SE.
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:19 am
by Ugbowo
danfo driver wrote:I take it Saka's agent has fed this story to the press to put pressure on England
You too sabi
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:37 am
by Enugu II
Tobi17 wrote:Dammy wrote:As good as Saka is, will he make the SE first XI?
Definitely, he will absolutely bench any player in that starting XI
Do not be sure about that. There is no question that Saka is very talented but the hustle and bustle of African football require a bit more of grit work than he is currently showing in his play for Arsenal. The referees let you get away with stuff that will be quickly whistled for elsewhere. Saka has to develop the gril if you ask me for him to be successful early on for Nigeria. Iwobi went through the same process. In my view, only Aina took the least time to adjust.
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 5:42 am
by Damunk
danfo driver wrote:I take it Saka's agent has fed this story to the press to put pressure on England
Yup. Sounds very likely.
Pressure on England and even more pressure on the boy.
His phone will be ringing non-stop from now on.
Its what they did to Iwobi, right up to the moment he stepped over the touchline on his Nigeria competitive debut.
Saka is probably the 'big fish' talked about during COVID.
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 5:53 am
by Damunk
Tobi17 wrote:Dammy wrote:As good as Saka is, will he make the SE first XI?
Definitely, he will absolutely bench any player in that starting XI
Even if he doesn't, are we not the same nation that has for decades lamented the lack of quality on our bench?
Saka, Ejuke, Moses, Kalu, Osimhen, Chukwueze, Aribo, Dessers, Iwobi, Eze, Nacho, Dennis....that's an impressive pool of offensive players to choose from if we can get them all.
Already we have 10/12 of them.
Not bad but never too much.
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 6:45 am
by Damunk
Interesting comments to the article already.
Fans will be fans and their comments mirror the kind of things we say here.
stevieh, Lincoln, United Kingdom
Simple really. Southgate needs to pick him for the Nations League game against Iceland in September. If he refuses then send him on the first plane back to Nigeria. Never set foot in England again
Londoner in Melb, Melbourne, Australia,
Choose Nigeria they'll be more appreciative and use and spit you out!
Thene, Manchester, United Kingdom
Whatever he self identifies as. I've got Irish and Italain heritage but as I'm born in England, that's who is play for (if I had any football talent whatsover, I don't). Leave him to it.
Logspeed, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
No wonder he looked spaced out. He has a lot in his mind.
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 7:06 am
by Tobi17
Damunk wrote:Interesting comments to the article already.
Fans will be fans and their comments mirror the kind of things we say here.
stevieh, Lincoln, United Kingdom
Simple really. Southgate needs to pick him for the Nations League game against Iceland in September. If he refuses then send him on the first plane back to Nigeria. Never set foot in England again
Londoner in Melb, Melbourne, Australia,
Choose Nigeria they'll be more appreciative and use and spit you out!
Thene, Manchester, United Kingdom
Whatever he self identifies as. I've got Irish and Italain heritage but as I'm born in England, that's who is play for (if I had any football talent whatsover, I don't). Leave him to it.
Logspeed, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
No wonder he looked spaced out. He has a lot in his mind.
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 8:54 am
by The YeyeMan
danfo driver wrote:I take it Saka's agent has fed this story to the press to put pressure on England
Correct.
Saka will play for England. Good luck to him. <shrug>
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 9:34 am
by Eaglezbeak
Tobi17 wrote:Dammy wrote:As good as Saka is, will he make the SE first XI?
Definitely, he will absolutely bench any player in that starting XI
Ejuke is better than him and I’m an Arsenal fan!
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 10:27 am
by chuks69
He may not start for Nigeria SE at present. But he is a good asset to have. I would think he would be ready in 2 years to start for Nigeria.. In attacking position he could be a back-up for Chukwueze.
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 12:12 pm
by Ayo Akinfe
Is Saka any better than Bright Osayi-Samuel?
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:02 pm
by Flex Swift
Ayo Akinfe wrote:Is Saka any better than Bright Osayi-Samuel?
How do you evaluate talent? What criteria do you employ? Be honest could Bright Osayi-Samuel get into the Arsenal first 11? Why isn't England looking to cap Bright Osayi-Samuel? Why isn't Nigeria looking to cap Osayi-Samuel? Other than QPR who else is interested in Osayi-Samuel? Is Osayi-Samuel even a starter for QPR? Has he respresented England in any of the youth teams? Why are you not advocating for Leeds to buy this guy? Could Osayi- Samuel get into the Nigerian under 20 squad?
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 2:02 pm
by Dammy
Flex Swift wrote:Ayo Akinfe wrote:Is Saka any better than Bright Osayi-Samuel?
How do you evaluate talent? What criteria do you employ? Be honest could Bright Osayi-Samuel get into the Arsenal first 11? Why isn't England looking to cap Bright Osayi-Samuel? Why isn't Nigeria looking to cap Osayi-Samuel? Other than QPR who else is interested in Osayi-Samuel? Is Osayi-Samuel even a starter for QPR? Has he respresented England in any of the youth teams? Why are you not advocating for Leeds to buy this guy? Could Osayi- Samuel get into the Nigerian under 20 squad?
Osayi-Samuel is a regular starter for QPR and one of the best wingers in the championship.
He just turned down a move to FC Brugges after a fee of £5 million had been agreed because of serious interest from EPL teams.
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 2:15 pm
by Ayo Akinfe
Flex Swift wrote:Ayo Akinfe wrote:Is Saka any better than Bright Osayi-Samuel?
How do you evaluate talent? What criteria do you employ? Be honest could Bright Osayi-Samuel get into the Arsenal first 11? Why isn't England looking to cap Bright Osayi-Samuel? Why isn't Nigeria looking to cap Osayi-Samuel? Other than QPR who else is interested in Osayi-Samuel? Is Osayi-Samuel even a starter for QPR? Has he respresented England in any of the youth teams? Why are you not advocating for Leeds to buy this guy? Could Osayi- Samuel get into the Nigerian under 20 squad?
Getting into the Arsenal side does not make you a good player. It does not even make you an average player. Most of Arsenal's players would never ever make the England squad.
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 2:42 pm
by Enugu II
Ayo Akinfe wrote:Flex Swift wrote:Ayo Akinfe wrote:Is Saka any better than Bright Osayi-Samuel?
How do you evaluate talent? What criteria do you employ? Be honest could Bright Osayi-Samuel get into the Arsenal first 11? Why isn't England looking to cap Bright Osayi-Samuel? Why isn't Nigeria looking to cap Osayi-Samuel? Other than QPR who else is interested in Osayi-Samuel? Is Osayi-Samuel even a starter for QPR? Has he respresented England in any of the youth teams? Why are you not advocating for Leeds to buy this guy? Could Osayi- Samuel get into the Nigerian under 20 squad?
Getting into the Arsenal side does not make you a good player. It does not even make you an average player. Most of Arsenal's players would never ever make the England squad.
Osayi,
I agree somewhat with Ayo on this but not particularizing it on Saka, however. The truth is coaches have choices of how they want to play and who fits into that scheme. That means that not every player is considered good for certain schemes. Of course there are players like Messi or Neymar who transcend schemes but majority of players are reliant on fit with particular scheme. Thus, to claim that because a player plays for Arsenal that he automatically makes the Nigerian team would not make sense. It all would depend on what the coach is looking for per scheme.
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 4:04 pm
by Ayo Akinfe
[1] Nothing I have seen about Bukayo Saka tells me he is better than the current players in the Super Eagles for now
[2] Having said that, it would be nice to tie him down in case he goes on to become a mega star
[3] For most of the season, Saka has played as a leftback and I am not convinced he is any better than Zaidu Sanusi or even Collins Jamilu
[4] As a wide forward, there is no way anyone can convince me Saka is better than Chukwueze, Kalu, Iheanacho, Onyekuru or Simon
[5] I find it totally unacceptable for Arsenal fans to come here and tell us that anyone who can play for their team should be an automatic starter in the Super Eagles
[6] We are talking about ordinary mid table Arsenal here, not Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG, Liverpool, Man City, Juventus or Bayern Munich
[7] Arsenal is just an average mid table team in the lower half of the Premier League and most of its players are just average too
[8] The only Arsenal player who I believe would be an automatic Super Eagles starter is Aubameyang. Maybe Ceballos at a pinch
[9] Bukayo Saka is OK but from what I have seen of Bright Osayi-Samuel, he strikes me as a better fullback
[10] The only English-eligible player I would move heaven and earth to acquire is Ebere Eze. I would be happy for England to have Saka if he starts doing shakara.
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 4:42 pm
by Rawlings
why is the GREAT Nigeria soccer nation, with an abundance of talented players, chasing some 19-year-old kid?
Leave him alone. He will join when the English snub him
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 5:01 pm
by Flex Swift
Apart from the on pages of Cybereagles nobody has even heard of Osayi- Samuel
Only on the pages of cyber Eagles has Osayi-Samuel received rave reviews.
Only on the pages of cyber Eagles has Osayi-Samuel turned down a big money transfer
The season is over let’s see the EPL team interested in Osayi-Samuel.
I bet at the start of next season he will still be at QPR
The same applies to Eze he will still be with QPR next season
How many times have we heard a EPL wanted Eze ....today it’s Tottenham tomorrow it’s Liverpool and Chelsea all the rumors coming from Cybereages.
I know we want to support our British /Nigerian players but lets be honest no EPL team is interested in both Eze or Samuel.
England will not call- up Eze for the full national team .....:...who is he going to replace? He couldn’t even help QPR get into a play off place.
If Saka was an average player he would not be a regular for Arsenal at 18.
Saka is left footed ,takes set-plays and very creative.
Was played out of position as a fullback and still managed to catch the eye.
The rave reviews are not coming from me they are coming from the football media.
If he were average English-media would not be agitating for his inclusion in the England squad.
Why aren’t the same English-media agitating for Eze or Samuel ?
Re: Nigeria accelerate plans to snatch Saka
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 6:01 pm
by Dammy
Flex Swift wrote:Apart from the on pages of Cybereagles nobody has even heard of Osayi- Samuel
Only on the pages of cyber Eagles has Osayi-Samuel received rave reviews.
Only on the pages of cyber Eagles has Osayi-Samuel turned down a big money transfer
The season is over let’s see the EPL team interested in Osayi-Samuel.
I bet at the start of next season he will still be at QPR
The same applies to Eze he will still be with QPR next season
How many times have we heard a EPL wanted Eze ....today it’s Tottenham tomorrow it’s Liverpool and Chelsea all the rumors coming from Cybereages.
I know we want to support our British /Nigerian players but lets be honest no EPL team is interested in both Eze or Samuel.
England will not call- up Eze for the full national team .....:...who is he going to replace? He couldn’t even help QPR get into a play off place.
If Saka was an average player he would not be a regular for Arsenal at 18.
Saka is left footed ,takes set-plays and very creative.
Was played out of position as a fullback and still managed to catch the eye.
The rave reviews are not coming from me they are coming from the football media.
If he were average English-media would not be agitating for his inclusion in the England squad.
Why aren’t the same English-media agitating for Eze or Samuel ?
Please go on Google and do some research.