Super Eagles striker Sadiq Umar's future has become uncertain at Real Sociedad, as the club has announced the dismissal of coach Sergio Francisco, Soccernet.ng reports.
Francisco took over from Imanol Alguacil at Real Sociedad in July after a disappointing 2024/2025 campaign that saw the club finish 11th in Laiga.
Francisco had grown through the ranks at Sociedad, having previously coached the junior teams. Therefore, the transition was expected to be seamless.
However, the move did not go as either party would have expected. The Txuri Urdin has been poor this season, and pressure had been mounting on the coach to deliver results.
On Friday, they suffered their eighth league defeat of the season, falling to a 2-1 loss at home to Girona. That result left the Txuri-Urdin in 15th place, with 16 points after 16 games.
Following that defeat, Real Sociedad on Sunday confirmed that Francisco had been relieved of his position as coach. Assistant Jon Ansotegi will lead the club for their last two games of the year.
ℹ Sanse coach Jon Ansotegi will lead the team on an interim basis for the final two games before the Christmas break, with Imanol Agirretxe as assistant coach. pic.twitter.com/cKh8XhKrMB
— Real Sociedad (@RealSociedadEN) December 14, 2025
What Sergio Francisco's Exit Means For Sadiq Umar
Sergio Francisco's sack at Real Sociedad leaves Sadiq Umar's future in the balance. For the last two years, his place on the team has been uncertain due to his failure to consistently deliver goals and persistent injury problems.
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During the summer transfer window, he nearly left the club, as he was heavily linked to Valencia, but the deal did not work out. By the time the season started, he seemed like an outsider at Real Sociedad.
Coach Francisco, however, gave him a chance. In fact, the Spanish tactician even promised Sadiq more minutes, although he did not ultimately keep that promise.
But now that Francisco is gone, Sadiq will be hoping that the interim coach and the next permanent coach like him enough to keep him on the team.
If the new coach does not favor him, the Super Eagles star will have to start desperately searching for another club in the January transfer window.
Sadiq still has around 30 months left on his contract, and he will definitely not want to spend that time on Real Sociedad's bench.
