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The head of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau has claimed that fans will have a say in whether or not current Nigeria head coach Jose Peseiro will stay in charge.

Why will fans have a say in the next Nigeria manager?

The former Porto and Sporting Lisbon manager took over back in May 2022, and it was claimed then that he would have a potentially hard time winning over supporters.

Indeed, BBC Sports writer Oluwashina Okeleji noted: "Peseiro will need to surpass his predecessor's achievement to win over demanding fans in Nigeria."

This was because the country's last foreign boss, Gernot Rohr, departed as the Super Eagles' longest-serving manager after taking charge in 2016 and leading Nigeria to the 2018 World Cup and a third-place finish at the 2019 Nations Cup.

Well, Peseiro has managed to secure qualification for next year's Africa Cup of Nations but they didn't manage to make it to the 2022 World Cup. What's more, with four wins and fives losses since, he has been criticised by local media and fans for what some "poor team selections and colourless performances".

That is according to Okeleji again, who once more is reporting for BBC Sport. This new article then quotes the NFF head who explains why fans will have a say in the coach's future.

Speaking interview on the Gbamm! LovingFootball radio show, Gusau explained: "We have the plan to push the votes to Nigerians to hear their views and thoughts.

"We've tried the foreign coaches and also the local coaches, and it seems they were having some kind of problems.

"Maybe we didn't get it right in the area of getting the right person.

"We are surely going to push it to the public, whether we should continue with Peseiro or he should go."

What happened with Jose Peseiro's Nigeria wages?

The report claims that his contract with the NFF expires on 30 June, so this situation should be resolved pretty soon.

However, it remains unclear just how desperate Peseiro will be to stay in the job. After all, back in November – six months after being appointed – it was reported that he had yet to receive a single pay cheque from his employers. Even so, the 63-year-old didn't make an official complaint to the NFF at the time.

Once more, as per BBC Sport, Gusau claimed his

organisation will only pick the best man for the job and nationality will not be a factor.

He added: "Whether we are going to consider an indigenous coach, we are also going to push that to Nigerians on the phone.

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"The public will tell us if they think going for a Nigerian will be best for Nigeria at the moment or we appoint another foreign coach.

"We will get their views, look at it and then we will do what we have to do as a board and come out with a decision."

Luke Edwards took to Twitter to share his disgust at an opportunity squandered by Newcastle United’s Callum Wilson in the first-half of today’s Premier League clash.

The Lowdown: Another frustrating result for Newcastle

It was heartbreak for Eddie Howe’s men as they went fell to a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City after Phil Foden’s first-half goal and Bernardo Silva’s second not long after being introduced.

The Magpies did not perform too badly, enjoying spells of possession but they just weren’t able to create enough opportunities as they ended the match with a rather disappointing five shots to their name.

The Latest: A costly Callum Wilson miss

It’s safe to say that the Newcastle faithful weren’t the only ones annoyed with the a certain opportunity in the first-half, as Telegraph reporter Luke Edwards took to his personal Twitter account to show his dismay as Callum Wilson fluffed a golden opportunity, calling his miss ‘woeful’.

He said: “A quite frankly woeful effort from Wilson when set up perfectly by Trippier”.

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The Verdict: A cause for concern for Newcastle

It really was a day to forget for Callum Wilson. He ended up being hooked off in the 63rd minute, registering just one shot which was off target, having just 14 touches, a passing accuracy percentage of just 60 and lost possession six times (Sofascore).

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Ever since the World Cup, Newcastle fans just haven’t seen the same Wilson, with just one goal to his name in his last 11 appearances in all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, both Wilson and the Toon must now put this defeat to one side and concentrate on the battle to finish in the top four in the Premier League, as their recent run of results have allowed Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur to get deeper into the mix.

West Ham United could now sign Torino midfielder Sasa Lukic for £13m in the January transfer window, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: West Ham’s Lukic pursuit

It was reported towards the end of December that West Ham were one of the clubs showing an interest in Lukic, alongside the likes of Napoli, Leicester City and Roma.

There is current concern at the club surrounding the future of Declan Rice, who is yet to commit to a new deal at the London Stadium beyond 2024, when his current deal is due to expire.

As such, the Serbian is now emerging as an option as a potential long-term replacement, with the Italian media providing a new update…

The Latest: Vlasic swap deal?

As per TuttoMercatoWeb, the 26-year-old could join the Hammers for £13m this January, with a potential swap deal being talked up by the Italian outlet.

It is claimed that Nikola Vlasic, who is currently on loan at Torino, could go the other way permanently for the same amount, after impressing for the Italian club this season.

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The Verdict: Get it done?

Akin to Rice, Lukic particularly flourishes in his passing abilities, registering an average pass completion rate of 86.4% per 90 over the past year, not too far shy of the 90.5% average from the current West Ham man in the same timeframe.

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Lauded as ‘outstanding’ by journalist Josh Bunting for his abilities in protecting the Turin club’s back three, the 26-year-old is ranked as the third-best performer in his squad in the Serie A this term, with an average match rating of 6.95.

The former Partizan man would be a welcome addition in the middle of the park, clearly capable of fulfilling similar duties to Rice, and given the swap deal that is now an option, it would be a cheap deal for David Moyes.

Aston Villa made a monumental signing in the summer of 2012, as they tempted Christian Benteke to join them for a fee of just £7m.

Although he went on to be a raging success for the Villains, scoring 49 times in just 101 appearances, there was another hulking Belgian who could have joined in his place.

According to Birmingham Live, Paul Lambert had a host of high-profile names who might have joined instead that summer.

Headlining that list was Romelu Lukaku, as the former Villa manager said:

“Prior to signing Benteke, I spoke to (Romelu) Lukaku, and we also looked at signing (Kevin) de Bruyne on loan – when they were both kids at Chelsea.”

Everton would instead sign the Chelsea man just a few years later, with his goal-scoring exploits catapulting him to being the Toffees’ all-time top scorer in the Premier League. 

In total, he scored 87 times in 166 appearances for the Merseyside outfit, as well as contributing 29 assists.

Their pursuit of the 29-year-old started with this loan move, ending with a permanent switch in 2014. Had Villa struck first instead, it could have been them who were blessed with this lethal forward who possessed far more speed than Benteke did as well as all the physical attributes.

It is these attributes that led to Italian football expert David Amoyal labelling him a “beast” as well as commending his goal-scoring prowess after moving to Inter Milan. He has enjoyed a fine career, and despite certain lulls and questions asked about his technical ability, he still has 275 total career goals.

One of these supposed lulls occurred during his stint at Manchester United, but ex-striker Andy Cole insisted he had been “phenomenal” following his debut season, where he had scored 27 in all competitions.

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Although Benteke was a success, his transfer to Liverpool was abrupt and showed his liability to move to a bigger club at the first opportunity. Lukaku conversely stuck around at Everton far longer than was expected.

Had Lambert opted for him, they could’ve had guaranteed goals and a huge physical presence up front for a longer time, creating a more sustainable future for the club.

Instead, the season following his departure they were relegated.

Aston Villa could seal two more signings at Villa Park before the window closes on September 1st…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Birmingham Mail reporter Ashley Preece, who delivered an exciting Aston Villa transfer claim to supporters during an online Q&A session, having arrived in Australia for their pre-season training camp.

“I believe Johan Lange is back at base in the UK drawing up a shortlist. I’m not expecting any transfer activity this week. SG [Steven Gerrard] wants to further strengthen the engine room so I fully expect one midfielder to come in. Transfer window still has more than six weeks left to run,” he said before adding:

“I’d say two more; midfielder and possibly one more…”

Villa not done yet

It’s clear that the Midlands outfit are by no means finished with their transfer business just yet, having already signed Diego Carlos, Boubacar Kamara and Ludwig Augustinsson, on top of the permanent arrivals of Philippe Coutinho and Robin Olsen.

Despite adding the Marseille powerhouse to Gerrard’s squad, it is interesting to see that another midfielder is among the priorities as he also has John McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Morgan Sanson, Marvelous Nakamba and Jacob Ramsey at his disposal.

However, the Brazilian star has been linked with an exit in recent weeks, with Serie A champions AC Milan thought to be keen on his signature.

It’s also believed that Gerrard is after a new striker to rival Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings, having been mooted with moves for Jonathan David and Mauro Icardi, among others.

With less than a month to go until the start of the new Premier League season, Lange will need to act quick to get the players in before it’s too late for them to adapt to Gerrard’s system and training.

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But it is rather exciting to see that Preece is banking on the Midlands side making two more additions, so his latest claim should leave the Vila Park faithful absolutely buzzing.

It’s certainly a thrilling time to be a Villa fan right now.

AND in other news, Preece delivers Keinan Davis update…

Mike McGrath has dropped an update on the future of Leeds United winger Raphinha.

What’s the talk?

In a recent post on Twitter, The Telegraph journalist revealed that, despite reports claiming that Barcelona were planning to hold off their negotiations for the 25-year-old until it became clear which league Leeds will be participating in next season, this is in fact not the case, with Xavi’s side now believed to have stepped up their interest in the Brazil international – with the LaLiga side planning on initiating transfer talks with the Whites imminently.

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In his tweet, McGrath said: “Barca have stepped up [their] bid to land Raphinha in the summer, planning on imminent talks over the deal for the LUFC [player] in the event of his club staying in Premier League or not.”

Supporters will be devastated

While the vast majority of Leeds supporters are more than likely resigned to the fact that Raphinha will be moving onto pastures new this summer – something that is evident from a recent poll ran on Football FanCast – the news that Barca are now hoping to secure a deal for the winger in the near future will nevertheless have left the Elland Road faithful devastated.

Indeed, the 25-year-old has arguably proven himself to be one of the club’s best signings over the past 20 years, with the £17m 2020 arrival having scored 16 goals and registered 12 assists over his 63 appearances for the Whites.

And, despite Leeds’ struggles this season, it has been over the winger’s 31 Premier League appearances in 2021/22 in which Raphinha has truly proven his ability at the highest level, with the £40.5m-rated forward bagging ten goals, providing three assists and creating nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.5 shots, making two key passes and completing two dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the £63k-per-week winger average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.95, ranking him as Jesse Marsch’s second-best outfielder in the top flight of English football.

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As such, while Raphinha’s potential £60m exit from Elland Road would undoubtedly represent fantastic transfer business by Victor Orta, the prospect of losing a player of the Brazilian’s ability in the coming weeks will nevertheless be a devastating thought for supporters of the Whites.

AND in other news: Victor Orta could “pick up a real gem” with Leeds bid for “complete” 17 G/A sensation

Aston Villa have been thriving ever since Steven Gerrard was appointed as Dean Smith’s replacement as manager, following a bad start to the season which left them 16th after losing five consecutive games in the Premier League during the autumn.

Villa have picked up 16 points in 10 games under the 41-year-old and now sit level on points with 10th- placed Leicester City in the league table, with Gerrard’s impact on the side clear to see.

Despite the U-turn that the Liverpool legend has inspired so far at Villa, not every player has benefited from his presence at the club, with Danny Ings failing to make an impact ever since he was signed last summer.

It is clear that the 29-year-old and fellow striker Ollie Watkins can’t find the connection when they play together, with Ings scoring three of his four Premier League goals this season when his strike partner was not on the pitch.

At the end of December, it was revealed that the former Southampton forward had the lowest non-penalty xG per 90 (0.15) and the lowest xA per 90 (0.02) of any Premier League forward so far this season, and has since scored just one goal.

Ings’ presence is clearly affecting Watkins’ output too, as the latter has been relocated out wide to accommodate the ex-Liverpool striker, Nonetheless, he has scored more than Ings, with five goals and one assist in 19 appearances so far this season.

Former Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor weighed in on the lack of connection between the two strikers. Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “For me, when I watch Watkins play as a central striker making runs into the channels, that’s where I want to see him, that’s what gets the best out of him.

“Every time I’ve watched Ings and Watkins play together it hasn’t worked, something isn’t working with their connection.”

Now that Gerrard has signed Philippe Coutinho, it could be the right time to axe the £19.8m-rated Ings from the team. That would Watkins to revert to his preferred position up top, with Emi Buendia and Coutinho out wide, a setup which was clearly more effective in Villa’s first win in three games against Everton recently.

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It will be interesting to see how the Villa manager tackles the challenge of setting up his forward line, especially when Leon Bailey returns from injury. Unfortunately for Ings, he simply hasn’t done enough since the start of the season to merit being a regular in the starting XI, so it may be time for Gerrard to wield the axe on him.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops behind-the-scenes Villa claim

Leeds United have sent scouts to watch Nottingham Forest attacker Brennan Johnson in action, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Johnson profiled

The Wales international, has scored 16 goals during his senior career to date, three of which have come during the current campaign.

Capable of playing on either wing, as an attacking midfielder or a centre-forward, Johnson has been a regular for the Reds in the Championship following a successful loan spell with Lincoln City last season.

He was described as a player with ‘real quality’ by Michael Appleton, his manager during his time the Imps, and it now seems as if Victor Orta has his eye on the 20-year-old.

The Latest: Source shares Leeds interest

Football Insider, who were informed by a Leeds source, claimed that the Whites are tracking Johnson as they put together a list of potential January and summer targets.

The report added that the Yorkshire club even sent a scout to watch him live in action against Queens Park Rangers – the first step in a possible transfer for the youngster.

The Verdict: Mixed displays…

Leeds reportedly watched Johnson live towards the end of October in west London, and statistically he had a mixed display that evening.

The youngster played up front with Lewis Grabban, but it was the experienced striker who was replaced on the hour mark, with Johnson playing the entire game. He completed four successful dribbles and had six shots in total, but he also lost the ball on 21 occasions and attempted just 12 passes [SofaScore].

Nonetheless, it seems as though the Whites are keeping a close eye on Johnson, and they would’ve been more impressed following his display on Saturday in a 3-0 win over Preston as he won a penalty and came out on top in eight of his 12 duels [SofaScore].

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At the tender age of 20, a certain level of inconsistency may be expected, but the Leeds target does seem to be showing some good signs in recent games and has a decent goal tally at this early point of his career.

In other news: £40k-p/w Leeds colossus who Bielsa called ‘important’ now wants out of Elland Road for good

Backing news of Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in Cagliari star Nahitan Nandez, Sky Sports have now come out with their own update on the chase for the tenacious midfielder.

The Lowdown: Spurs now eyeing Nandez…

Tottenham have entered the chase to sign Nandez in recent days as numerous reports reveal managing director Fabio Paratici’s interest in bringing him to north London.

Indeed, reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the 25-year-old is one of many midfield targets on the Italian chief’s list with ‘contacts started’ but no official bid yet.

Calciomercato, however, go one step further and claim that Paratici has already made an offer to sign him on loan with an obligation to buy – a move amounting to around €30 million (£25.5m) in total.

Sky Sports, while not exactly sharing news on an official bid, back news of interest in Nandez as they share their own update.

The Latest: Sky Sports back news of Nandez interest

The reliable source claims Spurs have now made an approach to sign the 41-cap dynamo who impressed across his 31 Serie A starts over 2020/2021.

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Nandez handed in a transfer request earlier this window following interest from Inter Milan and his versatility is highlighted as a real plus point.

The midfield maestro can play in the middle of the park, out wide and even as a right wing-back – potentially coming as a solution to the Spurs full-back issue as well as a target who can protect the back four.

The Verdict: Get it done Fabio…

At just 25, Nandez comes with a real potential for sell-on value in years to come if he keeps on performing at a high level.

Italian news outlet La Nuova believe he could depart the Sardegna Arena if any interested parties activate his alleged €36 million release clause (£30m).

Indeed, Nandez could well leave for slightly less than other Spurs midfield targets, like Sporting Lisbon’s Joao Palhinha for example (£34m), while solving more problems in Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad due to his versatility.

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He has also attracted plenty of praise from the press, with ESPN and BT Sports football pundit Mina Rzouki branding him ‘so amazing’ and ‘underrated’ on Twitter.

If Tottenham manage to get him over the line, we believe he could be quite the shrewd purchase.

In other news: ‘Omg’, ‘Yessss’, ‘I beg’…Many Tottenham fans erupt as ‘perfect’ news emerges, find out more here.

Mark Douglas has dropped some insight from those close to the potential takeover of Newcastle United on the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Arbitration looming

The arbitration case between the St. James’ Park faithful and the Premier League is set to take place in July, as the separate anti-competition lawsuit could also be launched after, depending on the results of the hearing.

It should give a much clearer picture over the direction of where the proposed deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group is heading, but until the results are found out there is still uncertainty surrounding the North East, especially considering its timing in relation to the transfer window and the start of the new season.

The Latest: Insight from sources close to takeover

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Douglas has shared that close sources to the takeover bid who are familiar with the approach to the Tyneside club think that there is little prospect of anything happening in time to impact the transfer window.

The journalist adds that even with a successful separation argument, it could lead into further questions from the top flight, which could delay the deal even further.

The Verdict: Transfer window blow

It would certainly be a blow if nothing on the takeover front could be completed in time for it to have an impact on the Magpies’ business in the transfer window.

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The Toon would have likely be hoping for a quick spike in cash at their disposal should their arbitration case prove successful, but it looks as if they may have to deal with a tight budget once more, especially due to the financial impact that the global pandemic has had.

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Nonetheless, if a takeover is completed over the next few months, then it may be January that we could see NUFC looking at buying a much higher calibre of player, and then next summer where we would likely see some very interesting business being done.

In other news, find out what big claim Ben Jacobs has dropped on the potential takeover after KSA news emerged here!