Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Joseph Ejuke will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Remo Stars the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Emmanuel Dung and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. Remo Stars know it, and so does everybody who watches him.
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
Squad15 Oct 2035
Words at Remo Stars training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ahmed Helmy is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Somebody watched every match in the division at the weekend and decided he was the best thing in any of them. A small honour, and most careers end without one.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Remo Stars people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Joseph Ejuke will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Remo Stars the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Oscar Naasei was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Adama Goïta was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Younes Idder. 1‑0 against Kano Pillars, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Katsina United waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Remo Stars is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
The offer from Bendel Insurance for Daniel Bassey was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Remo Stars have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Everything was agreed until it was not, and Wilfred Akpan reports back to Remo Stars with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.
Oscar Naasei and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad10 Sep 2035
Words at Remo Stars training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Adama Goïta is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Kaiserslautern have kept their man, and Remo Stars go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Olayinka Ogu is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Remo Stars people have started saying his name in the past tense.
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
4 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
The offer from Katsina United for Joseph Ejuke was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Aka David will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Remo Stars the goodbyes have quietly begun.
The deal with Kaiserslautern is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
5 straight away victories. Sides that win away are usually sides that can defend and can counter, and the table has begun to reflect what those journeys have earned.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Remo Stars this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
In brief
SquadDefences have started doubling up on Ayman Azhil
SquadWords at Remo Stars training over how hard people work
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Remo Stars have lost him in all but the paperwork.
At 35 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 8.17 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Remo Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Remo Stars, and it is not being withdrawn.
4 straight away victories. Sides that win away are usually sides that can defend and can counter, and the table has begun to reflect what those journeys have earned.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Remo Stars people have started saying his name in the past tense.
There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 7.92 at 34, and nobody on the pitch was better.
The offer from Bayelsa United for Daniel Bassey was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Remo Stars is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Everybody at Remo Stars saw it before anybody said it, which is how this always goes. At 35 the decline is real and measurable — 3 points — and the only question left is how the club handles somebody it owes a great deal to.
Add another name to the list: Enyimba have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Wilfred Akpan. The answer from Remo Stars has not changed — yet.
Squad9 Jul 2035
Words at Remo Stars training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Adama Goïta is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
10 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Successful dribbles: 29. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Remo Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
In brief
SquadAdama Goïta falls out with a teammate over standards
4 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
A defender on the scoresheet, which happens rarely enough that everybody in the ground remembers who took the corner. 1 for him, and a mark of 7.98 for the rest of it.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Remo Stars have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Oche Ademola will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Remo Stars the goodbyes have quietly begun.
6 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Remo Stars and El-Kanemi Warriors in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Adama Goïta. 4‑2 against El-Kanemi Warriors, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Marked 9.46 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad12 Mar 2035
Adama Goïta falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 7.84 at 34, and nobody on the pitch was better.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Remo Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Oscar Naasei and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Emmanuel Dung. 1‑0 against Wikki Tourists, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
A goalkeeper's career is counted in the games nobody scored in, and Wilfred Akpan now has 33 of them across 65 appearances. Nothing about that number was luck.
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Aymen Charaka, and the manager let it.
The dugout26 Feb 2035
The view from the dugout
“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Aminu Balogun, on a 1‑0 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ahmed Helmy was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
In brief
The dugoutAntonio Galeano has become a man the manager trusts
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Remo Stars have lost him in all but the paperwork.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Remo Stars, and it is not being withdrawn.
The offer from Barau for Chukwueze Onyekuru was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Remo Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Adama Goïta was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Oscar Naasei and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Remo Stars can pretend not to have heard.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Abraham Ademola will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Remo Stars the goodbyes have quietly begun.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Remo Stars this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad11 Dec 2034
Words at Remo Stars training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Adama Goïta is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Remo Stars know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Remo Stars is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Oscar Naasei and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad27 Nov 2034
Adama Goïta falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
The shrug has gone, the language is coming, and he now argues in training like somebody who expects to be here next year. Half a signing's value is this and none of it appears on a fee.
In brief
SquadTerem Dennis is not doing himself any favours
BoardroomThe Remo Stars board put their names to it
The dugoutThe manager plants his flag on Aka David
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Sunday Ademola will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Remo Stars the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Oscar Naasei was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ahmed Helmy was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Terem Dennis trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
18 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Remo Stars lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Sunday Ademola will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Remo Stars the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Emmanuel Dung was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
He is doing things on a Saturday afternoon that nobody around him can answer, which is flattering for about one season and a problem after that. Remo Stars will not keep him by pretending otherwise.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Remo Stars have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Abraham Ademola will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Remo Stars the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Remo Stars asked and Hearts of Oak said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad14 Aug 2034
Words at Remo Stars training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Adama Goïta is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Everybody saw it before anybody said it. At 34 the numbers say 3 points down on what he was, and the question for Remo Stars is how to handle a man they owe a great deal.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Remo Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad27 Mar 2034
Adama Goïta falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Ehije Ukaki is on it.
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Victor Babatunde has his answer from Remo Stars; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
The dugout27 Mar 2034
The manager has not finished forgetting Olayinka Lawal's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Remo Stars know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.