My Local Players Are Enough —Keshi

Chief Coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi, says he has no intention of inviting new local players for the rebuilding process of the senior national team.

To Keshi, bringing new players from the Nigeria Premier League, NPL, would be a distraction for the technical crew of the Eagles, as this would undermine the tactical development of the entire team.

The Chief Coach noted that there is need to consolidate on the tactical training the players have received since they came to the camp late last year, adding that if new players are brought in, the gap between the current players in camp and the new players would be difficult to bridge.

“I want to tell Nigerians that it would be difficult to bring in additional players to the Eagles’ camp. To me, we have enough players we need and they are doing well. This is due to the great job I and other members of the technical crew have done on them. If we invite a new set of players, they may not be able to catch up with those players that have been in camp for close to a month,” he said.

“The Big Boss” as Keshi is called by his admirers during his playing days, reiterated the readiness of the technical crew to bring out the best in the players in camp.

He assured that he would ensure that more local players get a place in his team.

“It is my job to groom these boys and ensure that the motive of camping them is attained within a short time. We want them to be part of the senior team to enable them play regularly in the Eagles.” he said.

Meanwhile, First Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Mike Okeke, has stated that the federation would organise more friendly games for the home-based Eagles with local teams in the NPL before they take on the Liberian national team later in the month.

Okeke said it is important for the federation to ensure that the players get better with more playing time.

He added that playing more friendly ties would enable the team to blend and offer the players the opportunity to understand one another on the pitch.

—Olusegun Abidoye