How about the Dugout.

Good day!

The new season is still some weeks away, but preparations have already begun across the country. Clubs are returning to camp, new players are being unveiled almost daily, coaches are settling into their roles, and management teams are making difficult decisions after reflecting on last season’s successes and failures. There is a sense of direction, even if nobody yet knows how the season will end.

At Enyimba, unfortunately, football has struggled to dominate the conversation.

The last few days have been consumed by public disputes, statements and counter-statements, with supporters once again forced to defend the club for reasons that have nothing to do with what happens on the pitch. But while everyone has been distracted by those events, another important question has quietly gone unanswered.

Who is actually coaching Enyimba?

Emmanuel Deutchoua’s contract expired at the end of last season. During the Federation Cup, even he admitted there was uncertainty about his future, although he remained in charge until Enyimba’s elimination. Today, he continues to lead training, yet the club has made no official announcement confirming whether his contract has been renewed, for how long, or under what terms. Even enquiries to people close to the club produce the same response: *he is staying*—but nobody seems able to explain the details.

That uncertainty should concern every Enyimba supporter.

To be fair to Deutchoua, he achieved the task he was brought in to accomplish. He inherited a team staring relegation in the face and guided it to safety. For that alone, he deserves credit.

But survival was the assignment.

This season demands something entirely different.

The expectations at Enyimba are never simply about staying in the division. The minimum target should be a return to continental football. At the ambitious end of the scale, supporters will always dream of **La Décima**—a tenth league title worthy of the club’s history.

That raises the question many supporters are quietly asking.

Is Emmanuel Deutchoua the coach to take Enyimba there?

For me, the answer is no.

That is not intended as disrespect. His approach may suit many of the realities of the NPFL, and he deserves recognition for stabilising a difficult situation. But managing a rescue mission and leading a title challenge are two very different jobs. History is full of managers who were excellent firefighters but not necessarily the right architects for the next phase of a project.

The painful irony is that there was a time such a debate would hardly exist. Enyimba’s stature was so great that the club attracted some of the best coaching talent available. Today, the conversation feels different. In many ways, Enyimba and Deutchoua seem to fit each other perfectly—not because both have reached the top, but because both are trying to rediscover it.

That says as much about the club’s decline as it does about the coach.

What makes the situation even stranger is the apparent contradiction in the club’s ambitions. Those close to the club continue to speak confidently about returning to the continent at the very least, and even whisper about **La Décima**. Those are admirable targets. In fact, they are the only targets a club of Enyimba’s size should ever entertain.

But ambition without preparation is merely optimism.

If those are genuinely the objectives, then every decision—from the coach to recruitment to player welfare—must reflect them.

Stanley Eguma arrived with an impressive pedigree and similar ambitions, yet those ambitions ultimately fell short. Deutchoua now finds himself facing an even greater challenge. Saving Enyimba from relegation earned him gratitude. Returning Enyimba to the summit of Nigerian football will require something far more difficult.

Whatever decision management has made should no longer remain a mystery. If Deutchoua is the man, announce it properly, back him publicly and allow him to shape recruitment from the very beginning.

If the club is looking elsewhere, then that decision must be made quickly. Every day lost is another day taken away from building the squad needed to compete for continental football.

Pre-season is not just about fitness. It is about clarity. And right now, clarity is exactly what Enyimba lacks.

EnyimbaEnyi.