Let the Victor Osimhen games begin…
As Victor Osimhen's loan spell at Galatasaray comes to an end, the speculation over is next destination ramps up.
Victor Osimhen's sabbatical-like year in Turkey has come to an end.
Osimhen, who spent the campaign just gone on-loan at Galatasaray, notched an astonishing 36 goals, laid off a further eight assists and, in the process, reannounced himself amongst Europe’s potent No.9s.
The Nigerian poacher also left his mark on the team's history like not many exports have ever done.
He broke the most goals scored by a foreign player in a single season – once held by the great Mario Jardel with 34.
Banners have been draped from the stands in Galatasaray's recent matches pleading for his stay.
His exploits helped Gala re-secure their third Super Lig in a row – staving away the challenge of José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe aswell as hosting the Turkish Cup earlier in the month.
The 26-year-old has regained the unshakeable swagger that has him earmarked as a defensive coach's worst nightmare: Do you stay tight or drop off? It doesn’t matter; he’s that confusingly good.
Aurelio De Laurentiis’ stubbornness combined with Antonio Conte’s even stronger stubbornness, led to an inevitable exit from Naples. Neither the finances nor the desire added up for Osimhen and Napoli, who have been geared towards cashing in on their Scudetto success of 2023 (as seen with the departures of Luciano Spalletti and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia).
A return is all but infeasible as Osimhen and Napoli prepare for a characteristically messy termination of an all-in-all fruitful relationship.
As for Galatasaray, the notion of bringing back Osimhen permanently is alluring but challenging. Their relationship has been a prolific one, as the Nigerian striker has brought a renewed set of interest and dynamism that the league’s top chiefs have starved for since the days of Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder.
However, a continuation seems dubious given the disparity in Osimhen’s standing and Galatasaray’s among Europe’s elite. The heavily rumoured fee of €60 million will be too heavy for their pockets.
The transfer mill has already started spinning aggressively. But where does the most chaotic, drama-magnet, talented superstar on the market actually end up?
It’s important to first outline what you’re getting with a post-Süper Lig experienced Osimhen. Simply put, a certified bucket-getter. Seriously, a true one-of-one self-shot creator. Even more so than the one that won the Capocannoniere in Italy with 26 goals.
The brilliantly detailed guys at Scouted described the Lagos-born striker as the purest form of a Goal Hanger—a profile attributed to someone with a clinical shot location, which Osimhen fits unlike any other.
According to reputable statistical database Fbref.com, Osimhen ranks in the 99th percentile for… *clears throats* …Expected Goals (xG), Non-Penalty xG, Shots, Shots on Target, Average Shot Distance, shots that led to another shot, touches in the attacking penalty, Successful Take-On% % and Tackled During Take-On Percentage amongst strikers in the Men's Big 5 Leagues, UCL, UEL over the last year; he's going to clock into work and show people why he commands the wage packet he does.
Osimhen’s skillset is broad yet defined that the parameters set in most leagues would eventually bend to his will.
In other words, there's realistically no league Osimhen could land in and not produce from day dot.
The Premier League stands out as a primary option. The league’s premier clubs have the stature and riches to compete for the signature of any player, let alone a wantaway one.
Once known for its brutalistic, front-facing 4-4-2 principles, the league has seemingly taken the footballing styles of its elite European competitors and spewed them into an ultra-competitive, ever-changing display from game to game. No two Premier League matches are the same.
The Bundesliga-fication of its transitional game, the La Liga-like build-play, the Ligue 1 value of physicality are all personified from the table’s head to foot.
Manchester United, which has starved for a clinical senior presence in the centre forward position since the days of Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, remains the heaviest linked destination in England. However, defeat in the Europa League final compounds the club’s catastrophic finances, which limit the services available for such a player. Hence, the shift towards Liam Delap, who is attached with a £30 million release clause, in various public and private circles, but the Ipswich Town striker seems set to join Chelsea, which throws the possibility of acquiring Osimhen back into the picture.
The aforementioned West London Blues deliberated about the Osimhen deal.
Another Big Six club deliberating heavily about the accusation of Osimhen is Chelsea. They've got the money that United lack, but with a new rejigged wage structure – which sees players at the Stamford Bridge club sign on lower base salaries with incentive of earning more – a deal regarding Osimhen, who will seek a contract that values his prime years, required yield that either party was cleary not willing to budge early into the window.
Delap, who worked with head coach Enzo Maresca at Manchester City, looks like the anointed choice as he looks to battle the adeptly talented but rough-around-the-edges Nicolas Jackson for the starting spot at Stamford Bridge.
From a footballing standpoint, Liverpool and Arsenal have both flirted with and now come to the realisation of rejigging their frontlines.
For Arsenal, the proposition of Osimhen is more convincing. Generating chances has not been the Gunners’ issue, with only Manchester City (440) completing more Passes into the Penalty Area (excluding set-pieces) (437) in the Premier League, but it's the lack of box proficiency to finish off those good looks.
Furthermore, Arsenal did not have a goalscorer with ten or more goals for the first time since 1923-24.
On-ball creativity in the likes of Martin Ødegaard, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka wouldn't be in short supply as Osimhen patrols the box in Erling Haaland-esque fashion, waiting to clean up in the six-yard box.
Though, like Chelsea with Delap, the Gunners have moved with haste for their prime target, as transfer guru Fabrizio Romano states that talks are taking place for Benjamin Šeško.
The case for their Anfield rivals is a bit more complex, given the background work being undertaken in the blockbuster move for Florian Wirtz.
The German playmaker would be nothing short of a revolutionary signing in his own right, that alters the current and future trajectory that Richard Hughes, Arne Slot and co. would take with the squad.
A box-predator dovetailing with Wirtz would be enticing, but the Darwin Núñez-like vortex that a central figure could create could take away from the fluidity that Slot’s men gained in their title triumph. Add to that, wide-forward Mohamed Salah’s importance remains high; the type of forward (or lack of one) could differ from the Osimhen route.
Abroad, the prototypical striker still holds value. Looking at the top landing spots…
Naturally, Barcelona pose the most attractive destination for any striker on the continent. The domestic treble-winning Catalans, who notched 174 goals in all competitions, will be in search for a new running mate for the recently penned-down wing duo Raphinha and Lamine Yamal as Robert Lewandowski clocks up in age.
Osimhen fits the profile and age but would, of course, need Lewandowski and his mammoth wages to be sacrificed for a move to materialise.
The possibility of Real Madrid re-entering the market for clarity in the No.9 role. Envisaging Xabi Alonso wanting a more out-and-out option to lead whatever concoction he has planned for his debut season in charge is plausible.
The rumours of Rodrygo’s departure still persist, and his make way would open up the space on the team sheet and the finances to make a move for Osimhen purseable. Granted, one of Kylian Mbappé (who will reportedly make the #9 shirt available after the Club World Cup) or Vinicius Junior will have to be convinced to operate from the right or split time off the left – both conceivable plans if assured with the plan of success.
A return to Italy could entice, especially if it means getting under De Laurentiis' skin a bit more.
Champions League clubs would shorten the interested stock, Napoli being one of them, would shorten it further. Inter, who limit the purses to exclusively free agents and also have nailed-in front two in Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram, and Atalanta, whose most expensive signing ever being El Bilal Touré for €30 million, narrows it down to Juventus.
The Old Lady are expected to shop out Dušan Vlahović, who has ultimately been unable to etch himself into the driver of Bianconeri success that his arrival promised.
The Turin club’s managerial search will dictate the extent of how they operate in the market, but the unquantifiable qualities Osimhen possesses such as league experience, will appeal to any appointment as the drive to frontfoot diminutive attacking midfielder Kenan Yıldız as the face of the project continues.
Though one club where the need for Osimhen’s profile faded is the Champions League finalists.
Paris Saint-Germain’s return to the European final and continued domestic dominance has hinged on the backing of Luis Enrique’s collective principles. Out went the bling-bling nature of the Parisian project, and in came the selfless attitude to entertain and enthuse, all wrapped in with the overarching goal of achieving it as a team.
Does a move for Osimhen enhance the latter or bend back to the past? It might not be a notion worth the consideration given the career jump from Ousmane Dembélé, who leads the line with maturity and clinicality nowadays.
Then there’s the unmovable Saudi conundrum.
Many Al Ahli believed that they had stolen the march on a potential transfer last summer before twisting towards Ivan Toney.
The Saudi side shifted Roberto Firmino into a deeper role, which required the addition of a figurehead to lead the line. Osimhen and Toney topped the shortlist. The Nigerian striker was the bigger name, had the bigger reputation and captured fans’ imagination far more, but the lack of full commitment to a deal despite agreeing on terms meant a move for the latter materialised.
The interest from the Public Investment Fund-owned sides has never faded. In fact, the year away from the elite European stage has enhanced the dream accusation.
Al-Hilal are in search of their next star that will propel them back to the top of the Pro League after missing out on the league title to Al-Ittihad with echnical director, Michael Emenalo, now a senior figure at Saudi PIF, spearheading the plan.
Bruno Fernandes headlines a growing list that includes Liverpool duo Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Osimhen.
The Blue Waves are currently without a permanent head coach, with Inter’s Champions League finalist coach, Simone Inzaghi, being targeted as the man to lead them in this summer’s Club World Cup (CWC).
If Inzagh does join, his 3-5-2 framework could allow space for Osimhen to operate with talismanic forward Aleksandar Mitrović.
As expectedly digested, the Osimhen market is as chaotic and drama-magnet as the football he plays.
Things can move quickly; a destination can be sorted with clarity from the player and the necessary clubs, but choosing such a club that matches Osimhen's financial and/or football demands is the sticking point.
In 2023, the Nigerian stated that he was “working so hard to fulfil [his] dream of playing in the Premier League one day." For some time, that seemed inevitable in actualising, but in reality, he hangs in the balance as destination spots lessen by the week.
A move to one of the Champions League-contending sides on the continent would naturally hold its appeal, but the financial state of the rest of Europe means the smart choice may not reside with Osimhen's name amongst board rooms like it would've done if he was labouring this production in a pre-pandemic version of football.
The Middle East have demonstratively crashed the market with money and ambition that can even test the most stern traditionalists' values.
“I want to win the Champions League at some point in my career,” Osimhen told De Laurentiis upon signing for Napoli. Europe’s elite club competition may still have an allure amongst the best players, but the revamped CWC may offer respite for those who operate outside the continent – strengthening the case for a move to a Gulf State club.
No matter where he goes, Osimhen has proven in Italy and now Turkey that if you give him a mission, whether that be bringing a Scudetto to a city that forgot how to dream or doubling down domestic dominance for a club amongst its tenses rivals, give him a mission and that's where he shines.
Nothing can be ruled out with Osimhen. Nothing.