Victor Osimhen transfer: Premier League move is expensive and complicated but the Nigeria striker could still be worth it | Football News

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This man guarantees objectives. He is one of the best attackers in the world. And some of the largest clubs in the Premier League desperately need a center-forward. It is a transfer equation which should have a very obvious solution. Buy Victor Osimhen.

Instead, Chelsea has already moved to bring Liam Delap after an impressive season with Ipswich. Viktor Gyokerres, Benjamin Sesko and Hugo Ekitike are all names related to a move to England while the Premier League teams seek to strengthen this key position.

In the middle of all speculation, Osimhen hides in the background with a move to Saudi Arabia or perhaps an extension of his loan stay in Galatasaray. With only a year remaining on his contract in Napoli, a return to Serie A Champions has already been excluded.

He remains the same formidable figure which drew Napoli in their first title since the time of Diego Maradona. A player of the year of Serie A for 2023, he finished eighth in the vote of Ballon d’Or this year. Last season, his 37 goals brought Galatasaray to a double servant.

It is slightly absurd that a player who, at 26, ostensibly at his peak can be considered too old to throw money, but the days of Chelsea beating the British transfer record to bring Andriy Shevchenko just unless his 30th anniversary is now gone for a long time.

An agreement would be complicated and expensive due to the interest of the Middle East. The younger options are cheaper options. They also offer a resale value. Nothing means that even buyers think that these alternatives will get more than No. 9 of Nigeria.

Acacio Santos worked with Osimhen as an assistant of Jose Peseiro with the Super Eagles. He is clear in his opinion. “I respect Galatasaray, of course,” says Santos Sky Sports. “But Victor deserves to be in the Premier League, where the light shines on him.”

The Portuguese coach saw closely what makes him so special, why he was the kind of character capable of helping to transport Napoli to this historical title. “Victor is calm before training, in his own world. But when the session begins, he wants to win everything.”

Santos has stories from Osimhen who took it too far. “It was incredible to look at – and as an assistant coach, I was normally the guy with the whistle,” he said. “His teammates would say:” Victor is a training exercise. “He said,” No, we have to win. ” »»

He describes a player who is “very competitive, very demanding of his colleagues” – stressing that “it is only his mentality” – but Santos saw the other side in Osimhen. The qualities that guarantee that most often he was able to take players with him.

“One day before the match, Vitor had a little fight with Emmanuel Dennis in an exercise of seven seven seven. This player relaxed a little, a little refrigerated. It was normal because there was a game the next day. But Victor wanted more. He was so demanding.

“We were a little surprised by his attitude. It was good. We liked it. But we thought he should calm down, perhaps. The next day, he scored four goals.” They came in what was a record victory of 10-0 against Sao Tome and Principle in the summer of 2023.

“After scoring his four goals, we suddenly had a penalty. Everyone expected Victor to grasp the ball for the fifth. The poker. But no, Victor gave the ball to Dennis, the teammate where he had fought the day before that had never scored for the national team.

“This is an example that tells you about it on Victor Osimhen. Instead of having five goals, he preferred to give his teammate his first goal. Others like to speak in the locker room. Victor is a leader through his behavior, through his work, through his example.”

His self -confidence is extraordinary. Santos considers this to be one of the factors that separate the best attackers from others, this ability to raise their shoulders and go in search of the next opportunity despite everything. There is a sentence for that. “Mental endurance”, he calls it.

“This is the moment when you waste after making a mistake. If your mental endurance is not strong, it is not good because you will waste a lot of time as a victim of your own mistake. If the time you waste is short, you have strong mental endurance.

“Victor has this strength. He doesn’t care if he makes a mistake. He wants to fight again. This is a huge thing because it also affects your biology.

Irony, of course, is that wasting time is exactly the way in which Osimhen’s criticisms – even some of his biggest fans – could see his career choices to date. The tales of a player with an exceptional drive are not necessarily easily dark with the circuit path he has undertaken.

Despite all the fact that Santos describes a player who is roughly the full central center – “he is also very fast and very physically very strong” – even a longtime admirer like his former coach can appreciate that Osimhen’s career is now at the crossroads.

Galatasaray is a famous club, but the Turkish Super Lig ranks between the CNOCHé leagues and Norway in the coefficients of the UEFA club. He can plunder in these lesser leagues, win trophies and adulation. Or test yourself in the most difficult competitions.

“It shows his professionalism by winning the championship in Turkey because it was not easy against Fenerbahce of Jose Mourinho. But I am sure that next season, he must go to another challenge, another championship. Victor needs it,” says Santos.

“He must go to a more difficult environment, an environment that will give him what he needs.” And what is it? “He must create these moments of challenge to grow as a player. If he does it, he will give 120% of what he has inside.”

This idea of growth is essential. And the risk is that if Osimhen is not trying soon, nobody – himself – himself – will really realize how good he could be. “Our message was to release your power, to release your power,” continues Santos.

By that, he means that he constantly urged Osimhen to show more of what he could do. “Having confidence in your skills and believing that it is possible to do even more is two different things. Cristiano Ronaldo is the perfect example,” he explains.

“He has always been very confident in himself, but he always needed Sir Alex Ferguson, then Mourinho to tell him that he could do more, that he could realize more, than if he added these little ingredients, he could become even better than he thought.”

Always time for Osimhen

There is still time for Osimhen to prove it. “When Ronaldo was 30 years old, people spoke of losing speed, losing agility, then he went to score more than 400 goals after being 30 years old. Biologically, we have to see with Victor. But mentally, he is high.”

The next decision could dictate his inheritance and there is sympathy if he simply accepts the best financial offer that arises. “Victor is a humble guy from the streets of Lagos. Football was a possibility for him to be a little safer, we do so.”

But this thought remains, what is happening if the best striker on the market currently wanted a first league shooting? “We saw it in Italy and Turkey. It would be more difficult in England, more intense,” added Santos. “But I think everyone wants to see him there.”