The international future of two players of the senior national team of Nigeria will be in doubt if head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro gets a contract extension as coach of the senior national team of Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Peseiro is currently out of contract as the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria but from all indications he will be given a renewal after leading the team to qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote D’Ivoire next year.
His new deal from what we gathered will carry a mandate for him to reach at least the semi final of the Africa Cup of Nations for it to be extended to a two years deal. A short term deal that covers the period leading to the tournament and immediately after it is being considered by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The expectation that will come with his new deal will likely make him more ruthless in making decisions on the inclusion of some players in the team, particularly those that have failed to live up to expectations during the course of his first one year as coach of the team.
Camp sources say he hasn’t been entirely impressed with the performance of the duo of Ademola Lookman and Kevin Akpoguma, two players who switched nationality to Nigeria after playing for England and Germany respectively at different youth levels.
His worry about Lookman is about where he fits into the team considering that they don’t play in the same way that has made him a feared force in the Italian Serie A with Atalanta. For Ekong it’s more of the same particularly the fact that he didn’t impress at all when he played as a right back against Sierra Leone in the 3-2 win that sealed their spot at the AFCON.
He is expected to make a decision on their future in the team once his contract extension is confirmed. The aim is to instantly start the process of delivering on the mandate of at least reaching the AFCON semi finals of the AFCON.
Osas Mahawi
