Gernot Rohr Says He Will Like To Continue As Super Eagles Coach

Gernot Rohr Says He Will Like To Continue As Super Eagles Coach

Gernot Rohr has expressed his desire to continue as Nigeria coach as he nears the expiry of his current contract with the three-time African champions.

The German joined the West African nation in August 2016 on an initial two-year deal which was extended until June 2020 after the country secured a place at the Russia 2018 Fifa World Cup.

Since he took over at the helm, the former Bordeaux and Nice manager has guided the Super Eagles to the World Cup and the African Cup of Nations, where they finished third in Egypt last year.

With contract talks scheduled to take place in February, Rohr hopes to continue his adventure with the Super Eagles as they target a place at the Afcon 2021 in Cameroon and 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The 66-year-old also acknowledged how he has developed a youthful team despite the retirement of key players like Victor Moses, John Obi Mikel and Odion Ighalo.

“I have been there for more than three years and it is long for Nigeria, because rarely can a coach be maintained as long. And it was possible because the results were good, that the team has evolved and that we accomplished the mission of rejuvenation,” Rohr told Girondins 33.

“It was planned and we managed to do it with young players including the two that you know, who play in the Girondins (Samuel Kalu and Josh Maja), and there are others in England, in Spain, etc. We no longer have a big star, because John Obi Mikel retired, Victor Moses also retired for family and age reasons and even our top scorer, Odion Ighalo, announced his retirement after Afcon 2019.

“We managed to find a scorer in Victor Osimhen, and other playmakers: we have Samuel Chukwueze who plays at Villarreal, the little Samuel Kalu from Bordeaux who plays very well with us – one of the best every time he plays with Nigeria. So we have a very, very young, promising team, and I would like to continue.

“We will see the leaders soon. It is planned for the month of February and possibly before the matches in the month of March for the qualification of the African Cup of Nations. Perhaps we could agree to continue the adventure with Nigeria.”

Nigeria will resume their qualifying campaign for the 2021 Afcon with a double-header fixture against West African neighbours Sierra Leone on March 23 and 31.