As recently as January, Victor Osimhen seemed completely certain of what this summer’s transfer window would bring him.
“In times like these, when you are one of the most popular strikers in the world, you expect things like this [speculation]Osimhen told CBS Sports Golazo Network’s Morning Footy. “At the end of the season I have already made a decision.”
Everything seemed to indicate that Napoli would leave with a lot of money, undoubtedly one of the most expensive deals in football history.
Perhaps Osimhen is blessed with particularly remarkable foresight. They would have to imagine a scenario in which Antonio Conte is the one tasked with righting the wind-lashed Napoli ship. Not only that, but one in which one of the most admired strikers in the sport sees himself as something of a bargaining chip so his new boss can get through to an older, less effective striker.
There have been talks between Napoli and Chelsea all summer with a view to securing the services of Romelu Lukaku for Conte. It is now suggested that the dialogue will focus on Lukaku’s move to Campania, which is the permanent transfer, while Osimhen, the man whose goals took Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years, goes the other way on loan with a purchase option. A man who averages a goal every 125 minutes in the Italian top flight and acts as an intermediary in the transfer of a player five and a half years older than him, who scored two fewer goals than him last season while still playing 600 minutes . How did it come to this?
Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda has hit back at this, saying “imaginative exchanges… as if he were a package to be delivered quickly” shows a lack of respect for the Nigeria international. “However, this package is the top scorer of the third scudetto in Napoli’s history,” Calenda said. “Respect and stop fake news!”
That could indicate that Osimhen himself is reluctant to be temporarily parked elsewhere so that Napoli can sign Lukaku. Likewise, the indications throughout the summer are that a deal needs to be done for anyone looking to secure a player with 135 goals from 258 appearances for club and country.
Osimhen has long looked like the belle of this summer’s transfer ball. It was clear he was ready to go… no wonder after his club’s deplorable TikTok antics – and the contract he signed in December appeared to be little more than a stipulation of the terms of the agreement with his suitors. Paris Saint-Germain needed a superstar to succeed Kylian Mbappé. At the turn of the year it seemed as if Arsenal were just a number 9 away from the title race. Given their need for the position, it was easy to see how Manchester United or Tottenham could find themselves in the mix for Osimhen’s services. Chelsea, for whom every teenager with two feet seems to be a market opportunity, could also be factored into the equation.
It’s easy to suggest that the $140 million release clause in Osimhen’s contract has stifled his appeal. Particularly at a time when the Premier League and UEFA’s financial regulations have proven surprisingly robust, any nine-figure deal will be a challenge to execute. Likewise, the word from Napoli all summer has been that their demands are more flexible than just getting the clause in full. It’s no longer a matter of pay or hang up.
What else has stopped the top clubs from knocking on Napoli’s door? A new season with injuries will certainly have led to questions from the scouting departments. The 2,566 minutes (equivalent to 28.5 full games) that Osimhen logged in his Scudetto-winning season is by far the most he has recorded in a season in European competition. Since joining Lille in the 2019/20 season, he has missed an average of eleven league games per season. Scroll through his injury history and there are a ton of muscle issues to worry about.
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Then of course there is the fact that Osimhen has had years to build up that injury track record. No one knows exactly when 25, in terms of recruitment, went over the hill, but in recent summers there has been an avalanche of deals with wealthy clubs paying big money for someone younger in the expectation/belief/hope that he will one day be an Osimhen could become. It’s worth noting that this is a striker who, even in his down year, averaged 0.54 goals, 0.52 expected goals without penalties and 3.84 shots per 90 for faltering Napoli. He gets good shots.
For a team anchored in the Conference League, their route back to title contention appears to be a difficult one. It would be a triumph to land these types of players in any deal that could suit their PSR issues. Doing this while unwinding the remaining two years of Lukaku’s contract (they would need to receive a fee of around $50 million to make a profit on the Belgian) would be the kind of triumph to correct some of the missteps Chelsea have made in the market soften. so far.
It just shouldn’t be this way. Even those who foresaw a tight, cautious market would have assumed that some club somewhere would have concluded that Osimhen was the big money solution to their problems. Remarkably, Chelsea, who have been so profligate in recent years, could be on the verge of securing one of the best bargains of the summer.