Plans are on for a top football club in the United States of America to set up an ultra-modern football academy in Lagos state with the aim of imparting modern football training on young aspiring Nigerian footballers.

This much was revealed exclusively by a top licensed Nigerian football agent residing in the United States, Obinna Emelogu.

Responding to a question about the possible opportunities for young Nigerian players in the American football market, Emelogu, who is currently residing in the southern American city of Houston, said: “The soccer market here at top level are mainly focused on established international players but however special talents can get into the lower league here. I am having meetings with a top club director here on establishing their club academy in Lagos. We are conducting serious feasibility study and how we can minimise cost to reach our target.”

The academy project, according to Emelogu, is expected to commence in the early part of this year.

It is expected that young Nigerian players who get into the academy would be made more marketable for the international market, through correct teaching of the technical, tactical and mental aspects of the game.

It is also expected that the academy would be blessed with top, state of the art exercise facilities to ensure the physical conditioning of the players is top class.

In an earlier interview with News Express, the widely traveled Emelogu (who is the agent of Super Eagles and Chelsea defender, Kenneth Omeruo) lamented the dearth of modern training facilities at the disposal of young players. He is also irked that many grassroots coaches in Nigeria lack the requisite training and up-to-date knowledge of football coaching, arguing that this affects the quality of young players they churn out.

“We don’t have many coaches who update themselves with the modern techniques of football,” Emelogu noted. “They just remain with whatever old knowledge they have. There’s

football technology now. As other technologies (like cars) keep growing, football technology keeps growing as well. Many grassroots coaches can’t meet up with the speed at which the game is growing.”

It is with the aim of helping to address these anomalies that Emelogu is working hard to bring in the undisclosed top club to set up a modern football academy in Lagos that could serve as a blueprint for replication around the country.

•Photo shows Emelogu.

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