- Nigerian midfielder, Ramón Azeez, has penned a three-and-a-half-year deal with Spanish Segunda B club, Granada CF, reports Completesports.com.
- Azeez, 26, linked up with Granada from another Segunda B club CD Lugo, where he has played for the past two seasons.
- “Midfielder Ramón Azeez joins Granada CF from CD Lugo. He will be a red-and-white player for the remainder of the season and three more,” reads the statement on Granada’s official twitter handle.
- “He is central midfielder, great capacity for defensive work, physical deployment and attentive to the cut. He is a skilful footballer who reads the game well and can play long balls too. He is also always calm on the ball.”
- Azeez joins the list of Nigerians to have represented Granada following stints of the trio of Odion Ighalo, Uche Agbo and Isaac Success at the club.
- The midfielder, who once represent Nigeria at the U-17 and U-20 levels, is in line to make his debut against Osasuna on Sunday.
- He was part of Nigeria’s squad to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil but sat out all Super Eagles four games in the tournament.
Granada occupy top spot in Segunda B table with 44 points from 23 matches.
By Adeboye Amosu
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COMMENTS
Why does no one clamour for the invitation of Ramon Azeez to the Super Eagles.
According to the article above, the 2014 World Cup participating midfielder is said to possess : “great capacity for defensive work, physical deployment and attentive to the cut.
He is a skilful footballer who reads the game well and can play long balls too. He is also always calm on the ball.”
I just wonder why his name never gets brandished about like others, that’s all….
Correction CSN.
This statement in the article above is factually wrong : “He was part of Nigeria’s squad to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil but sat out all Super Eagles four games in the tournament.”
Azeez played in Nigeria’s opening world cup match against Iran on 16.06.2014.
He made way in 69 minutes for Odewingie.
I’m delighted at Azeez Ramon’s latest leap. He is no doubt a decent player. I remember his exploits at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup which Nigeria hosted. He even carted home the Bronze Ball award.He donned Nigeria’s colours in that particular tournament with the likes of Abdul Ajagun, Kenneth Omeruo, Ogenyi Onazi etc.
With Granada topping the Segunda B, Ramon Azeez will most likely get to make a return to the Super Eagles by the time he hopeful starts playing in the La Liga.
He will definitely add to our depleting midfield options
Hi Akin,
I couldn’t but concur with your assessment above of Azeez. The clip below, showcasing the ex-Under 17 international’s skills in Almeria’s match vs Osasuna, does bestow some justice to his appraisal as presented in the article above that provoked our contributions.
I watched Azeez in 2014 world cup against Iran and I must tell you, I think he was awful. I said to myself that I never wanted to see him in the colours of the Super Eagles ever again!
However, his steady and consistent career in the Spanish 2nd division, which is a decent league in its own right, has kept him within my radar and I must say that my opinion of him has sharply departed from what I held in 2014.
I value experience and Azeez has this in abundance. He may not have the silky skills of, say Chukwueze, but one advantage – I think – experience brings is judgement. Whereas a Chukwueze will have more of exuberance.
As a midfielder, Raymon Azeez lacks sufficient balance, vision, ball-distribution, dribble and panache to be right up there with some of the best even in Africa.
However, he has enough overall skills to hold his own; enough to be considered a decent midfielder; enough to clinch transfer to a club hoping to be playing against Barcelona and Real Madrid next season as they currently top the Spanish second division with 44 points.
Azeez’ consistent club career coupled with his experience of international football at the highest level does make him a player that is hard to simply “brush aside”.
He is, in my view, national team material. But, only 11 players can be on the pitch at any time for any country.
Should Azeez get called up for any national team assignment, however trivial, I wouldn’t blink an eyelid; for me, he has earned it!
Raymon Azeez skills:
https://youtu.be/GJhFzXqVQ1I
With so many non-regulars and fringe players like Agbo, Ebuehi, Hassan, Odey, Lokosa, Oshimen, Nwakali jnr, Azeez etc knocking hard on the door, something tells me Rohr and his assistants are going to have a real headache selecting the team/main formation for Afcon 2019. I certainly don’t envy him now. And I make bold to say SE will win the tournament – 95% bet. And Moses may play in his last tournament for Nigeria.
I think quite a few of those knocking might have to wait until after AFCON which should see Mikel, Ighalo, V Moses and John Ogu retiring after playing their last tournament. If the four only Ighalo did not see the positive move that he wanted so might remain in China (their transfer window stays open until the end of February so might still see a move to a Chinese premiership side).
I wouldn’t call Ebuehi a fringe player though as he is firmly in Rohr’s plans and is back in training (but not back playing yet). I fully expect him to complement Ola Aina as the two right full backs in the squad, BUT, with the return of VM (if news reports are to be believed then which out of the 4 right sided players are most vulnerable (Kalu, Chukwueze, Aina and Ebuehi)? My money is on Aina, not on skill base but on coach sentimentality.
Yes the coach will have a headache in his selection, but it’s a good headache to have and I have tried to second guess his squad selections with varied success in 2018. One thing is for sure, whomever he picks, Nigerians will howl “nonsense, ojoro” in the same way they are howling about elections now.
One slip up in a match and he will face a virtual online lynching even if we come second or third, as people forget the past that we failed to qualify in 2015 and 2017, how soon people forget.
Hopefully Agbo, Azeez will be regulars in La Liga next season and will be in a position to push for a World Cup qualifying and tournament spot in the team, the like of Osimhen has a good chance of making it into the squad for AFCON this year. I’d pit Odey as an outside chance to challenge Osimhen for the striker role (alongside Ighalo) but he is most likely looking at the under 23 s along with Nwakali ina bid to ease them into the national side for the future. Neither did their chances any good when tested in 2017 and 2017 and Rohr doesn’t forget easily
Nice analysis as usual, BigD. But you skipped Lokosa. He’s playing professionally in Tunisia now and I understand Rohr personally recommended him to the club, so he still has an eye on him while trying to solve Nigeria’s number 9 problem (Ighalo is good, but feared in Africa aka Yekini? No?).
Ebuehi’s case is becoming worrisome. He’s still growing in experience, but with the little of him I’ve seen in an SE shirt, I can just imagine what the finished product would be like.
The good thing about Rohr is that he is a stickler for merit, and I doubt NFF bigwigs can impose a player on him. So I think any criticisms post-2019 Afcon (in the event of a failed campaign) will be tempered. Much unlike Keshi, who after winning Afcon 2013, began to invite questionable talents into the team and ended up bungling SE chances in the Fifa World Cup 2014.
BigD, I quite agree with you. We have been paying so much emphasis on the Afcon whereas the draw for qualification for 2022 WC is expected to happen in July this year.
By the time the qualifiers begin, players like Azeez should be in the reckoning so long as he remains fit and flying for his club.
Recall: CAF confirmed last year that the qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA world Cup and the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations will be played separately.
An idea had been mooted to have both qualifiers merged such that the nations reduce the costs and time for matches but it was firmly rejected.
If memory serves me right I think, in 2010, the same qualifiers were used for the Afcon and world cup tournaments of the same year.
CAF has clearly chosen a different path this time around.
All it means is more matches for us fans to use to assess our players.
The World Cup take place in Qatar in the summer of 2022 while the Africa cup will be in June 2021 in Ivory Coast.
The qualifying draws for the Qatar finals are scheduled to be held in July 2019 at about the same time CAF will be releasing those for the Ivory Coast tournament.
I can’t wait!
Kel: Just remember, should Nigeria fail to lift the trophy in Egypt (or fail to make any sort of impact) Omo9ja will hold the following contributors , including me, responsible for “not acting in the national interest” by supporting Rohr: Dr Drey, BigD, Ayphilly, Achi, Jones, Tayo and others who think along the lines that we do.
Just know what you are potentially getting yourself into. I don’t think any of us would want to invoke the wrath of a seasoned contributor like omo9ja.
So, in the words of Celine Dion, ‘think twice’ before you come out with the prediction of tournament victory for Nigeria.
Hahahahaha. My bet is still firmly on Naija. And if I want to add a bit of superstition, I’ll say there’s a pattern when Nigeria misses a previous Afcon: They go on to win it. Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2012 edition, but qualified for the 2013 edition and went on straight to win it! Plus North African hosts (e.g Tunisia 94) are often a good harvesting ground for the SE. South Africa too. The first time they hosted in 1996, Abacha ensured we couldn’t go to defend our crown. The next time SE was in that country in 2013, they went straight to win it.
So, I’m staking a bet on Nigerian winning. Yep, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and maybe CIV and Guinea will fancy their chances too, but I think we have the highest concentration or constellation of stars in Africa currently — even if none of them is at the level of Mane, Salah, Keita and Zaha yet. Those teams are lone star teams. Maybe 2 stars.
@Kel Hoohaa,
You make me laugh! You confirm my confidence, my man. The concentration of stars in Naija makes me quiver. Look, I want the SE to lift this years AFCON for a rather selfish reason: CAF says no Nigerian player is fit for the African XI. What? Even the ever prolific Ndidi? I had to take 3 panadol (a clear overdose to calm my raging headache). We’ll brush off lone star teams and make sure that our VP drinks Milo with that cup.
Omo9ja is waiting for both of u..
Don’t say I didn’t warn you o!!!!