A couple of years ago, Victor Osimhen was one of the hottest young strikers in Europe as he led Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years.
The Italian job turned a little sour after that as the team dropped off and he was frozen out of new boss Antonio Conte’s plans. The Nigerian completed a year-long loan move to Turkish side Galatasaray in September after failing to find a permanent move elsewhere.
“Welcome to hell” is the famous chant that the supporters shout inside the Rams Park stadium, but the 26-year-old has performed superbly to lift the dark clouds. The only fire Osimhen is creating is on the pitch as his scoring output has been close to a goal a game for the league leaders.
Unsurprisingly, Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk has described his player as the best striker in the world claiming that the Super Eagle is even better than Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland. In his first 24 games for Galatasaray. Osimhen contributed to 24 goals (five assists and 19 goals). That is what you call impact.
The striker has modelled his game on Chelsea legend Didier Drogba and there’s no doubt that the Nigerian’s physical presence and aerial power has made a huge difference in the Turkish League. Given that Galatasaray is one of the most intense atmospheres in world football, the forward’s combative style has made him a hero with the volatile crowd.
To underline the beauty of having this all-round package in the team, the 39-time capped international scored two goals from nine shots, won seven out of nine aerial duels, had 32 touches and made two key passes in a 3-2 win over Samsunspor in November. The all-round action man can be seen everywhere and is not “just” a goalscorer. He became the first player in a decade to score or assist in each of his first six Super Lig games.
The only setback has been the exit from European competition altogether with the exit from the Champions League playoff and then the Europa League. Ultimately, someone of Osimhen’s quality needs elite football on the biggest stage and he’s still being actively chased. The betting odds of who that might be and where he could end up is one of the talking points of incessant transfer speculation.
The original talks with PSG fell through and Chelsea were dismissed out of hand, offering a much reduced basic wage before Galatasaray came in after the European transfer deadline shut. Osimhen allegedly rejected a big offer from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli too. Roberto Calenda, Osimhen’s agent, said that his client’s future is in Europe and nothing that has happened since really changes that perspective.
There is a 75 million euros release clause in his contract in the summer of 2025. His motivation appears to see out the season, having ignored the winter window, and then reassess options. There are high wage demands – some estimates are between £250 to 400,000 per week – together with agent fees.
The potential shakers and movers for his signature may be eliminated because of these demands. It appears a return to Napoli is highly unlikely given the circumstances of his exit, although there have been reports that Serie A could be a destination. Former director Cristiano Giuntoli, who has a strong bond with the striker, is apparently aiming to bring him to Juventus, where he is now sporting director. Napoli will probably be resistant in selling to a domestic rival, but it’s a space worth watching.
After Chelsea’s original interest, there are other clubs who now certainly need someone of Osimhen’s stature. Manchester United desperately need a world class striker to help Ruben Amorim’s rebuild and Rasmus Hojlund’s wages would be within the financial remit of Napoli who need a new forward after Romelu Lukaku’s decline.
Arsenal have also approached the striker’s representatives. Osimhen would make perfect sense right now given the London club’s cupboard is completely bare of options upfront. However, those rumours have cooled somewhat and the Gunners have eyed targets who probably fit their style more such as Benjamin Sesko at Leipzig.
Osimhen is under contract at Napoli until June 2027. In his peak period at Napoli, he scored 76 goals and registered 18 assists for the club. Now that the love affair is over there, any move elsewhere will be buying into a striker who can do the lot. He can score from different angles, run in behind the centre-backs, has a turbo boost acceleration and stretches defences.
There isn’t a club that can’t benefit from that skill set. The only question remains which one will have the guile, style, wages and profile to tempt the African star to join them.
