Victor Osimhen must show PL clubs he's worth the effort & prove point to Napoli
Following his sacking by Napoli on the eve of their last-16 Champions League tie, former Watford coach Walter Mazzarri said: “I was hoping to manage against Barcelona with Victor Osimhen on the pitch.”
The Nigeria striker is set to return against the Catalan giants at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday night. But Osimhen will soon be leaving Napoli as well with the only question being if the £110m-rated forward will go to the Premier League, Paris-Saint Germain or Saudi Arabia. Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United have all been linked with him while the French champions want a big-name replacement for Kylian Mbappe.
But the 25-year-old superstar, who beat Mo Salah to be named African Player of the Year, will continue to make headlines on and off the pitch wherever he goes.
The centre-forward scored 31 goals in 39 games last season to lead Napoli to their first scudetto since 1990. Osimhen , who still wears his trademark protective mask after fracturing his eye socket in November 2021, became the first African player to finish as Serie A’s top scorer.
Head coach Luciano Spalletti left last summer along with South Korean centre-back Kim Min-Jae - who joined Bayern Munich - but Osimhem confirmed he turned down a mega offer to go to Saudi Arabia to stay put in Naples.
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Speaking to John Obi Mikel’s podcast in November last year, he said: “I had never thought about leaving but when the offer from Saudi Arabia came, it was difficult to refuse.
"Every time I said no, they increased the offer again and again. It was truly a sensational sum that would have changed my life, but in the end I told them: ‘No guys, I'm staying where I am’."
But Osimhen, 25, added his aim was to play in the Premier League. "I don't have a favourite team, but I have two shirts: Chelsea and Manchester United,” he teased. “The Premier League is the league most appreciated and followed by every African footballer."
Victor Osimhen talks to Chelsea legend Didier Drogba after Africa Cup of Nations match between Nigeria and Cameroon (MB Media)A winter departure had even seemed possible when the Nigerian deleted pictures of himself in Napoli colours from his social media accounts in September after the club’s own TikTok account posted a mocking video of the striker after he missed a penalty against Bologna and then argued with Rudi Garcia when he was subbed off. His agent even threatened to sue Napoli.
After months of talks, Osimhen signed a one-year contract extension with Napoli on December 23 to take his deal to the summer of 2026, double his salary to £8.6m-a-season and insert a £110m buyout clause. He was sent off that day against Roma and has not played for Napoli since - and the reigning champions won only two out of seven league games to see Mazzarri sacked and Francesco Calzona appointed till the end of the season.
Where will Victor Osimhen be playing next season? Let us know in the comments section below
Victor Osimhen wears a trademark face protector since breaking his eye socket in November 2021 (Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images)Just before Nigeria’s run to the African Cup of Nations final last month, Osimhen took to social media to call a Napoli team-mate’s agent a “piece of filth and a disgrace” for claiming he will still go to Saudi Arabia.
Mamuka Jugeli, who represents Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, told Georgian media: “Osimhen signed a new contract, but do you really think he will spend his entire career at Napoli? I can already tell you he will go to the Saudi Pro League next summer.”
In an unauthorised interview with CBS last month, Osimhen said: "I think 60 percent of everyone are arguing, or the rumour is going around about me linked the Premier League. At the end of the season, I think I already made up my mind. I already know what I want to do with my career, since I've started, I've been the one taking my own decision and everything is working out well for me.”
Kylian Mbappe's departure from PSG at the end of the season will see the French champions seeking big-name summer signings (Getty Images)Napoli’s season has gone less well with the team down in ninth place with Corriere della Sera reporting that the dressing room is unhappy with the lenient treatment shown to Osimhen over his tantrums, lack of fitness and his late return from Afcon. He was too tired to play on Sunday where the 1-1 home draw with Genoa sealed Mazzarri’s fate.
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The Partenopei are already looking for a replacement with Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee, Jonathan David of Lille, Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface and Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez on the shopping list.
Osimhen has another high-profile chance to display his talents in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
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