The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Etebo

  • Etebo denies petition against Warri Wolves

    Super Eagles World Cup sensation, Ogenekaro Etebo denied writing or signing any petition against Warri Wolves over outstanding monies owed  some players by the club.

    According to a report, Etebo, Daniel Akpeyi and other ex-Warri Wolves players had written a petition to the Economic and Financial Commission demanding payments of monies owed them  under the leadership of current NFF President  Amaju Pinnick.

    According to the newly signed Stoke City Striker: “My attention was drawn to a newspaper report that myself and Daniel Akpeyi signed a petition against Warri Wolves. My picture was even used in the story which is totally false and a calculated attempt to drag my name into something I know nothing about. Since I left Warri Wolves, I have never complained about money to anyone, neither did I sign any petition. This story is meant to create distractions and confusion. I don’t want anyone to use my name to create confusion. I want to concentrate on my career.”

    He affirmed that he had instructed his lawyer to take up the matter by demanding an apology.

    “The publication has brought tension to the extent that my wife had to call me after buying the paper. The publication is not only untrue, but misleading. I think they just wanted to use my name and Akpeyi to score a point, but it is not fair at all.

    ” I’m ready for the challenge of playing in the big league in England. My ultimate aim is to lead Stoke City back to the Premiership, but it requires alot of work. I cannot do it alone as I need the support of my teammates which I’m already getting. I know I need to work really hard, I won’t be under pressure because my mate’s would support me.”

  • Etebo joins Stoke City on a five-year deal

    Championship club Stoke City has announced the signing of Nigeria international Oghenekaro Etebo from Portuguese setup Feirense for a fee of 7.2 million euros.

    The former Warri Wolves’ star has put pen to paper on a five-year deal that will keep him at the Potters until June 30, 2023.

    Etebo spent the second half of last season on loan at Las Palmas but decided not to make the move permanent after the club was demoted to the second tier of Spanish football.

    ”We are delighted Etebo has chosen to join Stoke City, becoming our first signing of the summer,” Chief Executive Tony Scholes told Stoke City’s official website.

    ”I’m particularly pleased that he took the time to look beyond our current league status and understand who we are as a club before choosing us ahead of current Premier League and Bundesliga clubs.”

    Manager Gary Rowett added: ”We’re really excited to have the deal over the line for Etebo. I’m looking forward to seeing him in a Stoke City shirt as I’m sure our supporters are too.”

    The 22-year-old was a second-half substitute in Nigeria’s 1-2 loss to England in a pre-World Cup friendly staged at Wembley on June 2.

  • Etebo hits Lagos on Sunday

    Super Eagles midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo is expected in Lagos on Suday after partiicpating in Saturday’s Spanish La Liga game between  Las Palmas and Girona in one of the final games of the season.

    The 22-year-old is very eager to link up with his international teammates in Uyo early next week, and will hop on a plane bound for London, England immediately after today’s game.

    The C.D. Feirense loanee is the only Nigerian player included in Las Palmas’s 18-man squad for the clash at Estadio de Gran Canaria, meaning Emmanuel Emenike will end his stay in the Canary Islands without playing a single game for the club.

    Manager Paco Jémez has opted not to select Rio Olympics star Imoh Ezekiel on the roster though the striker trained with the first-teamers earlier this week.

    Etebo made giants strides during his loan spell with Las Palmas but could not single-handedly prevent the club from being demoted.

  • Eagles will play to win – Etebo

    SUPER Eagles’ midfielder, Oghenekharo Etebo believes his team will go out for victory when they take on fellow African team DR Congo in a pre-Word Cup warm-up friendly in Port Harcourt later this May.

    The Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, who spoke to AOIFootball.com exclusively from his base in Spain, further said that every match the team plays before the World Cup is crucial as it will determine their readiness for the Mundial.

    “The match against DR Congo will be a very tough one, but it’s also imperative we win to boost our morale.

    We need to take all games and training sessions seriously from now on.

    “All the players know how important it is for us to succeed at the World Cup and I am 100% sure we won’t disappoint our fans,” Etebo said.

    The Las Palmas’ midfielder added further that every member of the team is working cautiously to ensure they stay fit ahead of the tournament in Russia.

    “Injury is one thing you cannot take away from the game but I am doing everything to stay injury-free, and every other player is doing same. Apart from the World Cup, it’s important one stays out of injury,” Etebo concluded.

    Nigeria will face DR Congo in Port Harcourt on May 28 before travelling to the UK to meet England on the 2nd of June after which the team will jet out to Austria where they would play their last warm-up game against the Czech Republic on June 6.

  • Deportivo de La Coruña vs Las Palmas: Etebo undergoes fitness test

    Las Palmas star Oghenekaro Etebo underwent a fitness test yesterday morning ahead of today’s La Liga match at Deportivo de La Coruña.

    The Nigerian international was surprisingly named in Las Palmas 25-man provisional squad, along with Imoh Ezekiel, and was pictured entering the chartered plane that took the squad to Galicia on Thursday afternoon.

    Allnigeriasoccer.com understands that Etebo has not trained with the squad since last weekend’s home loss to Villarreal in which he was substituted at half-time after suffering discomfort in the quadriceps muscle.

    La Provincia says the first radiological tests on Thursday revealed that there was no breakage in the damaged area, and manager Jémez has stated that he will wait until the end of this morning’s session to see how he responds.

    Despite not being in tip-top condition, Etebo plans to report for international duty on Monday subject to a successful visa application and was at the Embassy in Madrid on Tuesday.

    The attacking midfielder will have to get clearance from the Super Eagles medical team before he is allowed to step out onto the Municipal Stadium Wroclaw for the friendly against Poland in a week’s time.

  • Etebo joins Super Eagles Camp today

    Etebo joins Super Eagles Camp today

    CD Feirense attacking midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo will beat the deadline for the players summoned for the World Cup qualifier against Cameroon to arrive in Abuja.

    The former Warri Wolves star has been named in CD Feirense squad for the league game against Chaves at Estádio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira on Saturday evening.

    Etebo will depart for Abuja on Sunday morning and join the team in the evening.

    In his last match for CD Feirense in the Primeira Liga, he was deployed on the left wing by manager Nuno Manta Santos.

    Teammate at CD Feirense, Dele Alampasu, is also in the Nigeria squad for the double clash with Cameroon scheduled for 1 September and 4 September in Uyo and Yaounde respectively.

  • Etebo, Alampasu join Feirense For Pre-Season

    Oghenekaro Etebo and Dele Alampasu linked up with the rest of their team-mates at Portuguese side CD Feirense yesterday for training, with both players set to endure contrasting fortunes at the Portuguese outfit.

    While Etebo is still being linked with a move away from the club, Alampasu signed a new contract to extend his stay at the club with his current deal set to run out next month.

    However, Alampasu and Etebo were not the star attraction at the team’s training as little known Nigerian Gbadamosi Ibrahim stole the show following his step up from the youth team.

    Ibrahim who is predominantly a winger by trade, spoke with the website of the team after a strong showing at their last training session: ” I’m feeling like a part of the team, I want to remain here and force my way into the set up.”

  • ETEBO IN LEICESTER’S RADAR

    ETEBO IN LEICESTER’S RADAR

    NIGERIA youngish international, Oghenekaro Etebo, who plays for Turkish giant side, Fenerbahce is on the radar of English champions Leicester.

    A source close to the Istanbul giants told Turkish-Football that Fenerbahce representatives will fly out to meet with Oghenekaro Etebo later this month. Per-the-source, Fenerbahce plan to establish contact with Etebo during the international break in March. Fenerbahce will also send scouts to watch Etebo for Nigeria’s games against Senegal and Burkina Faso.

    Fenerbahce are planning wholesale changes to their squad next season following a turbulent past 12 months. The Yellow Canaries find themselves in third place in the Turkish League and a full nine points behind leaders Besiktas.

    To make matters worse, Besiktas also have a game in hand and can go 12 points clear this weekend. Meanwhile, The Sun has reported that both Arsenal and Leicester City are interested in the 21-year-old midfielder.

  • Monaco makes Etebo prime Jan. target

    Monaco makes Etebo prime Jan. target

    Owngoalnigeria.com understands that French giants Monaco will swoop for Nigerian midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo once the pair of Tiemoue Bakayoko and Djibril Sidibe are sold.

    We gathered that Monaco have been tracking Etebo for a while, and the expected departure of Bakayoko could see them firm up their interest in the Nigeria international.

    Etebo is viewed as a like for like replacement for Bakayoko by Monaco, and a bid in the region of £10m could seal his capture according to an intermediary close to the player.

    ” I got a call from Monaco’s man in Portugal about Etebo, especially as the departure of Bakayoko looks likely in January.

    I told them what I think he will cost, around £10m precisely. So let see”, he told Owngoalnigeria.com on the condition of anonymity.

    Bakayoko and Sidibe are reportedly high on the wish list of Chelsea coach Antonio Conte who is very eager to bolster his squad despite the fact that they are leading the pile in the English Premier League.

    As reported by various media outlet, the Blues are prepared to use the £60m windfall due to them from the sale of Oscar to Shanghai SIPG as a bait to lure Monaco into selling the coveted duo, with a blow your mind bid when the transfer window opens in January.

  • Etebo: I always want Eagles to win

    Etebo: I always want Eagles to win

    Etebo, how does it feel to be back with the Super Eagles of Nigeria after your exploits at Rio Olympics where you scored four goals against Japan?

    Etebo: First of all, I wish to thank God for his grace and mercy. I was very happy when I received the call-up. I believe this is the beginning of a new dawn, it’s just for me to keep improving every time.

    Where did you get your great sense of purpose on the pitch?

    This is my job, I don’t have any other job,  and whenever I am on the pitch, I am focused. I always want my team to win.

    You helped Feirense to win promotion to the Portuguese top league. How has it been for you in Portugal now?

    Everything is going well for me but when I first arrived it was not that easy because of the new language and a new country. That weighed me down a bit.

    But after a few months during which I was well received, which I appreciated, everything is now going fine.

    You reported late to the training camp for Saturday’s match against Algeria and we understand it had to do with your work permit?

    My club did not submit my file to the immigration office in Portugal but that has now been settled before I came down to Nigeria. It was a delay from my club.

    How are you now looking forward to the big game against Algeria in Uyo?

    It’s a big game but by His grace I believe with our effort we will get the victory on Saturday.

    Thank you for speaking with us.

    Thank you too.