Former Flying Eagles captain Ikouwen Utin has joined newly-promoted Israeli Premier League club Bnei Sakhnin on a season-long loan deal from Maccabi Haifa.
Utin struggled for regular playing time at Maccabi Haifa last season despite his big reputation in the Nigeria Professional Football League prior to the move.
The 20-year-old made just seven league appearances totalling 176 minutes.
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Bnei Sakhnin are one of the two teams promoted to the Israeli Premier League in the 2019/20 season.
They finished second behind Maccabi Petah Haifa in the Liga Leumit table.
Utin linked up with Maccabi Haifa from NPFL club Enyimba last summer.
4 Comments
Former poster boy of the NPFL still struggling in the Israeli league…and Rohr must give NPFL players express visa into SE starting XI.
True talk @drey.Those clamouring for homebase players always turn a blind eye to reports like this.That only helps to believe that their continuous call for homebased players to main stream SE is only for their selfish gain; using SE platform to market low quality players to Europe, wherein they get commission from sign on fee.
On the flip side of things,has anyone come to notice something about that Aigbogun U-20 squad? The first Nigeria u-20 squad that has failed to produce a player burning the grasses in whatever club whether at home or in Europe. The few talented players in the squad, Aigbogun refused to play them but chose to always go with highest bidder. Waiting to see if he will ever get near national team assignments again.
Hear what former MFM player Ifeanyi Ifeanyi who now plays in “UZBEKISTAN” has to say:
“…Ifeanyi also said that training methods in the NPFL were somewhat behind: “A lot is different compared to NPFL trainings. The tactical trainings are quite different, except for a few coaches in the NPFL like coach Salisu [Yusuf] and [Abdu] Maikaba. Their trainings look similar to what I experienced in the Super Eagles camp. As for the training at his current club in Uzbekistan, Ifeanyi said the NPFL was worlds behind: “Here there are programs for each day. You hardly see teams go to the gym in the NPFL, but here you go to the gym. There are programs for only the strikers, programs for only the midfielders, programs for the defenders and the goalkeepers. Every department has their special training programs. It’s all about tactical training, quick feet and even the balls we use here are different. There are no facilities in the NPFL, but here there are a lot of facilities and equipment to train with. You improve more with the facilities and equipment than when you have no equipment…”
Do we still wonder why NPFL players cannot walk straight into TP Mazembe, Esperance, Zamalek,Al-Ahly, Raja casablanca, Al-Hilal, Mamelodi Sundowns or Orlando pirates…? Yet MUST be reserved a quota in the SE.