The football transfer season in Europe and other parts of the world is one of the most interesting and intriguing aspects of the ‘beautiful game’ because of the expectations, aspirations and above all the need to get better in all aspects among other teams. Footballers are not easy to manage but it is important for footballers to get good managers that can help boost their careers.

This is very evident in the deals recorded in top teams in Europe and other parts of the world. Sadly, we observe that overtime, the reverse has been the case for Nigerian players as they hardly get good deals even when they are in the best form of their lives. Paul Onuachu of Genk, Belgium; Moses Simon of Nantes, France, and Simy Nwankwo, who plays for Serie B club Parma and currently on loan from Serie A club Salernitana.

In the past two seasons, these players should have been in better clubs if they had good managers and they also understand current trends in the football business. In the just concluded season, Onuachu scored 33 goals with five assists in all competitions for his team and also won the Ebony Boot as the best Black player in Belgium, yet so far he has had nothing to show for it during the transfer period. Just last season, injury kept him out for many weeks, yet he was still able to score 21 goals and register two assists. He deserves better but no doubt, there is a problem with his management. Undoubtedly, the hottest Nigerian player now is Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.

The 23-year-old forward is very energetic and deadly in front of goal. He has scored 18 goals in all competitions this season with 14 Serie A goals and four Europa League goals. In a recent AFCON qualifier in the colours of Nigeria, Osimhen was on target four times against Sao Tome. Three other times he was also on target but the goals were disallowed.

He is a complete striker such that people are tipping him to equal and erase the late Rashidi Yekini’s record as the all-time highest scorer of the Super Eagles. Yekini scored 37 goals in 53 games for Nigeria while Osimhen has scored 15 in 23 games so far. Because age is on his side, it is believed he can set a new goal scoring record. It is interesting to read in the dailies that Premier League teams Manchester United and Arsenal are interested in Osimhen but the truth is there are doubts about the ability of his manager to get him a good deal. One wonders why Nigerian players cannot get agents to manage their careers and take them higher. The situation was the same during the era of other top players in the Super Eagles who never got to feature for a top team abroad.

Osimhen and other current players must change the narrative to ensure Nigerian players can be where they want to be through hard work and on merit. We recall German defender, Antonio Rudiger, was a key member of the Chelsea Football Club team at Stamford Bridge last season. From his position as centre-back he often roved upfront to score some crucial goals for the Blues.

Interestingly, his goals were not just from set pieces via headers as is customary to many defenders, but in open play with shots from within and outside the 18-yard box. Each time he scored, he kissed the Chelsea badge on his shirt like a player that will never quit Stamford Bridge. However, because the London team failed to meet his valuation at the end of last season, Rudiger left to join Real Madrid. It was, however, interesting the way he spoke about Real as his dream club and that his family knew he had huge love for the 14-time UEFA Champions League winners.

Such is the life of footballers because they are more or less in business and go for the best deals especially while in their prime. Senegalese forward, Sadio Mane, is another example. Despite his exploits at Anfield with Liverpool, he was being poorly paid by the Reds and he decided to move to the Bundesliga to join Bayern Munich. Uruguayan striker, Darwin Nunez, was a target of Manchester United for many weeks but in the end he opted to join Liverpool for a record fee of $85 million.

Paris Saint Germain were on the verge of losing Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid but somehow, they discussed terms and the forward stayed with the French top flight team. The mindset of the players and the role of the agents are key factors that determine the eventual outcome of these transfer deals. We make bold to say that top Super Eagles stars will have to up their game by getting world-class agents who can provide better deals and take crucial career decisions for them. There are many with prospects but they are currently in the wrong hands in terms of management.

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