William Troost Ekong Wants Nigerian Coach to Take Over Super Eagles After Jose Peseiro's Exit

William Troost Ekong Wants Nigerian Coach to Take Over Super Eagles After Jose Peseiro's Exit

Edwin Kiplagat
updated at April 22, 2024 at 6:48 AM
In this article:
William Troost-Ekong logo
W. Troost-Ekong
PAOK Saloniki logoDNigeria logo
Nigeria logo
Nigeria
Nigeria
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Victor Osimhen logo
V. Osimhen
Napoli logoFNigeria logo
  • Nigeria are yet to appoint a new coach following Jose Peseiro's exit
  • Several coaches, mainly local, have been linked with the role since
  • William Troost-Ekong would love to see a local coach take the job

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The Nigeria national team has been searching for a new coach to replace Jose Peseiro, who left over a month ago.

Several names have been linked with the role, but the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has yet to name his successor.

Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, has lauded the Portuguese tactician, adding that he prefers a local coach to lead the team.

William Troost-Ekong, Nigeria, Victor Osimhen, Finidi Geirge, AFCON, World Cup
Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, talks with former Nigeria coach, Jose Peseiro, during a match at the 2023 AFCON. Photo by Issouf Sanogo.
Source: Getty Images

The Super Eagles are coming off a successful Africa Nations campaign in Ivory Coast and are hoping to go a step further at the 2025 edition.

Peseiro coached Troost-Ekong and Nigeria to their first final since 2013. Despite scoring first, they suffered a painful 2-1 defeat to the host nation, Ivory Coast.

Finidi George coached the team during the March international break. He, alongside Emmanuel Amunike, Daniel Amokachi, Sylvanus Okpala, Sampson Siasia, Michael Nsien, and Ndubuisi Egbo, have been linked with the job, per Afrik-Foot.

Troost-Ekong on Nigeria coaching role

Troost-Ekong was named the best player at the 2023 AFCON and admitted he would like a local coach to take over.

“I think that will be the ideal situation for our team, to be honest,” he said via Soccernet.

The veteran defender pointed at Senegal and Ivory Coast, teams that have succeeded with local coaches at the helm.

“There is something that has to be said about a coach understanding about the culture of a country, players, and daily route having been there before as a player, playing at the AFCON.”

The three-time AFCON champions face South Africa and Benin in June in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. They are third in Group C with two points from two games.

Troost-Ekong lauds Osimhen

Sports Brief previously reported on Troost-Ekong applauding Victor Osimhen, the reigning African Player of the Year.

The defender listed several qualities that make the Napoli striker special, such as his work ethic, speed, and power.

The striker became the first African to win the Serie A Golden Boot last season and is a top summer transfer target.

Authors
Edwin Kiplagat photo
Edwin Kiplagat
Edwin Kiplagat has five years of experience in journalism working as a Sports Editor at Africa Insight Communications and ESPN. Edwin Kiplagat is a Bachelor's Degree holder in journalism from the Multimedia University of Kenya.