Omeruo, Awaziem - Leganes vs Espanyol 2019-20Getty

Amokachi urges Omeruo and Awaziem to leave Leganes after relegation from La Liga

Daniel Amokachi has advised Kenneth Omeruo and Chidozie Awaziem to leave Spanish side Leganes after the club was relegated from La Liga.  

Omeruo teamed up with the Cucumber Growers permanently from Premier League side Chelsea after delivering convincing showings during his loan stint.  

The centre-back featured in 23 league games for the Estadio Municipal de Butarque outfit in the 2019-20 season as his side finished 18th and were relegated from the Spanish top-flight.

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Awaziem, meanwhile, joined the Cucumber Growers on loan from Portuguese giants FC Porto and played 29 times for Javier Aguirre’s men across all competitions. 

Amokachi has recommended his former club Besiktas to Awaziem as he believes the defender along with Omeruo need to continue their development in the top-flight leagues. 

“It’s sad the team was dropped but with the quality of the players and being Super Eagles players, I think they should find a way to move and play football in the top leagues,” Amokachi told Brila FM.

“In Turkey, my former team Besiktas are looking for cover and I think Awaziem will fit in very well and Omeruo is being linked with two Premier League teams.

“And with the stamp he has put in Turkey [during Omeruo’s loan at Kasimpasa and Alanyaspor] I’m sure teams there will come for him, it just depends on where he wants to go.”

Sunday Mba - Afcon 2013Getty Images

Amokachi also discussed Sunday Mba, who starred for the Super Eagles at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

The forward struck two decisive goals for the West Africans at the tournament, including his match-winner against Burkina Faso in the final to help Nigeria win the title for the third time in their history.

The 30-year-old has been without a club since he was released by Turkish side Yeni Malatyaspor in September 2017.  

Amokachi, who was an assistant to late Stephen Keshi at Afcon 2013, is disappointed with the forward’s current state but feels he still has the quality to play football again.

“I spoke with Mba about three weeks ago when Ahmed Musa was in Nigeria. Musa called me and said other guys like Sunday Mba and Emmanuel Emenike were with him and they were reminiscing about their time in the national team camp and we all laughed about it,” he continued.

“Mba has been going back and forth. He played in the second division in Turkey, he was playing, but I think his lifestyle didn’t help him a bit and the contract he had in France after the Afcon destabilised him a bit.

“Up until today, we don’t know the true story of what really happened, with the Bordeaux deal, only Mba and those involved can really tell us what happened and why the deal didn’t work out and things just broke away for him.

“But I think he is a quality player and probably age is not on his side but I still think he can give the world a few years of quality football if he really wants to.”

Amokachi, who had 44 caps and 13 goals for the Super Eagles before his retirement, is currently the Nigeria football ambassador.

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