Fresh contract: Troost-Ekong makes case for Peseiro

As Nigeria Football Federation remains mum over the contract of Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro, Assistant team Captain William Troost-Ekong has made a case for the Portuguese coach insisting that he deserves contract extension because he has given the team a new identity.
Just before the conclusion of the 34th AFCON in Ivory Coast, Algeria reportedly showed interest in grabbing Peseiro amidst calls in some quarters that he be asked to go irrespective of the outcome of the AFCON.

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The Former Al Ahly and Venezuela coach however ignored the calls concentrating on the tournament at hand where he took the team to the final before losing narrowly to Ivory Coast in the final. Algeria have also reportedly made a u-turn in their initial desire to have Peseiro but now looking in the direction of former Bordeaux and Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic.

Jose Peseiro awaits reactions from NFF.
But in an interview with CNN William Troost-Ekong who emerged one of the best players of the tournament insists that the coach deserves to have contract extension as his style gave the team more pluses than minus.
“I do back him (Peseiro) 100 percent, he gave us an identity at the AFCON,” Troost-Ekong said.
“Before the tournament, we had no playing style or what we wanted to do. However, it might be our weakness in the final, but it was our strength throughout the tournament.
“I think we have to give him a massive compliment for getting the team going after some difficult years, so he also has to come out with some credit. I think he too would have wanted to be standing here with a winners medal instead.”
Eagles were known to be an attacking side and a side that prefers to play free-flowing football.
However, in the 2023 AFCON, coach Jose Peseiro made the team play more defensively, though they had a prolific goalscorer like Victor Osimhen in attack and pacing wingers like Moses Simon, Ademola Lookman, and Samuel Chukwueze during the tournament.

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The defensive style helped the Super Eagles reach the finals of the tournament but exposed them against Ivory Coast, who won the tournament by beating Nigeria 2-1 with ease.
Coach Jose Peseiro is currently out of contract, but the NFF is yet to reach a decision on what next to do.