German Gernot Rohr is close to being appointed the new technical adviser of Nigeria, BBC Sport understands.
The 63-year-old ex-Gabon, Niger and Burkina Faso coach has yet to sign a contract but is expected to be unveiled at a media conference next week.
Rohr, who has been working on development programmes for the German football association (DFB) since December, has landed in Nigeria and will watch a local league fixture between Ikorodu United and Sunshine Stars in Lagos.
Sunday Oliseh was the Super Eagles’ last permanent coach before he quit in February in a row over his contract.
Rohr, who played at Bayern Munich and Girondins Bordeaux, and then coached Bordeaux when they lost to Bayern in the 1996 UEFA Cup final, last worked in Africa as Burkina Faso coach before joining the DFB.
His other past managerial jobs include French club Nantes and Nice, Young Boys Berne in Switzerland, the Tunisian club Etoile Sahel and the national teams of Gabon and Niger.
He steered Tunisians Etoile du Sahel to third place in the league in 2009.
Rohr took Gabon to the quarter-finals of the 2012 Nations Cup on home soil and also managed Niger at the 2013 edition but failed to get them out of the group stage.
Before leaving Burkina Faso, he led the Stallions into the final round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had confirmed Salisu Yusuf as the national team’s chief coach in July as it continues the search for a technical adviser.
It comes after Paul Le Guen and the NFF failed to agree terms for the Frenchman to take the role, despite an announcement from the country’s football authority.
The Frenchman had been named by the NFF, which said he would work alongside Yusuf, but the two parties could not come to a deal over a contract.
Nigeria have failed to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Gabon, but are in the final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
They have been drawn in Group B where they will face Algeria, the top-ranked side in Africa, Cameroon, as well as Zambia.
Source: BBC Sports
