Tag: Osimhen

Nigeria International striker  Victor Osimhen is being linked  with a swift  return to the Italian  Serie A  from Galatasaray with words rife  that he could  team up  with Juventus  as early as January 2025.

Italian  sports journalist, Paolo Paganini, reportedly  made  the  hypothesis during a broadcast of 90° Minuto on Rai 2, adding there is a strong possibility that Juventus  can make a sensational move  for Osimhen  which is an opportunity of uniting  him with  Cristiano Giuntoli, who originally brought him to Napoli.

According to FootItalia, Paganini affirmed  that  ‘Osimhen to Juventus’ is a distinct possibility because of the peculiar attacking situation at the Old Lady of Italian football.

“Vlahovic, compared to other attackers in the Italian league like Lautaro Martinez or Napoli’s Osimhen, is not at that level. Juventus doesn’t have a top-tier striker,” he reportedly said even as he highlighted two potential targets for Juventus’ attack.

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“One is David, the Canadian striker from Lille, who would also fill a non-EU slot and whose contract expires in 2025,” he continued. “The other is Osimhen, because while he has a release clause, the relationships between Osimhen, his agent, and Giuntoli are very strong. So pay attention, because this summer there could be a sensational return.”

Osimhen only  recently made a shock  loan move to Turkish giants, Galatasaray, following  his  inability to make a dream move to the English Premier League after  last minute  transfer  deadlock  with Chelsea at the close of the  window on August 31.

Meanwhile, Paganini suggests that the summer of 2025 could be the crucial deadline for this potential transfer with the ongoing speculation about Juventus’ plans to strengthen their attacking options and the potential influence of Giuntoli’s past connections in the transfer market.

Victor Osimhen bagged an assist for the second consecutive game as Galatasaray defeated Fenerbahce 3-1 in the Istanbul derby.

Galatasaray got off to a good start when Dominik Livakovic put the ball into his own net in the 20th minute.

Osimhen then set up his former Napoli teammate Dries Mertens for the second goal eight minutes later.

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It would be recalled that the 25-year-old also registered an assist on his debut for Galatasaray.

He was in action for the entire duration of the game.

Gabriel Sara netted the third goal for Okan Buruk’s side one minute before the hour mark.

Edin Dzeko reduced the deficit for the hosts from the penalty spot in the 63rd minute.

Nigeria international  striker  Victor  Osimhen  would be in the hunt for his first goal in the Turkish Super Lig when  Galatasaray  visit Gaziantep  today.  

Coming after his winning debut  over the weekend  against Rizespor and ahead of the highly anticipated  The Intercontinental Derby against Fenerbahce on Saturday, Osimhen has been  tipped  to get  among the goals should  his Gala teammates  create more chances for him.   

This much  is the opinion of Besiktas legend Nihat Kahveci after the 25-year-old  Nigeria International  marked his debut for the Turkish champions with an assist as they thumped Rizespor 5-0 Saturday.

“I didn’t see Osimhen as lacking in physicality. He showed what an athletic player he is. I saw his jumping advantage in all the cut balls,” the former Turkey international who won two Turkish Cups and a Super Cup with Besiktas, reportedly  said on Yenisafak.

“Goals were expected from Osimhen. Batshuayi gave him a very nice pass, I think he hit the ball correctly with the inside of his foot and the goalkeeper saved it.

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“Apart from that, did he get into many clear positions? Galatasaray players did not get him into many positions like that,” the former Real Sociedad and Villarreal CF star continued.

 “On the defensive side of things, I really liked his directing the ball to the goalkeeper and defenders when it came to him, and his defensive role and struggle in those areas when the ball was in Rizespor.

 “Osimhen scores a lot of goals. He searches a lot, he is very active. He is always involved. If you create more positions for him, he will score a lot of goals in Galatasaray.”

The sports director of PSG Luis Campos has said the French Ligue 1 champions never made an offer for Victor Osimhen.

In a rare media interview Campos said on the sidelines of the Thinking Football Summit PSG already had the full complement of strikers they needed.

“PSG never made an offer to Napoli for Osimhen,” Campos stated.

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A late call by Napoli to PSG before deadline?

“That’s the market…,” he further responded.

He also admitted that he has been following the career of the Super Eagles striker since he was 16.

• Zola carpets Nigerian ace 

Legendary coach Jose Mourinho  has described Nigeria international striker, Victor Osimhen, a ‘fantastic player’  but not without  saying  that the newly-signed  Galatasaray star must refrain from diving.

Known for his  admiration for African players, the former Chelsea coach and  now  with Turkish champions, Fenerbahce,  said he would have signed  Osimhen if he were to have a reasonable transfer’s war chest.

 “Osimhen is a fantastic player,” Mourinho reportedly told  Fanatik as per FootItalia. “ If I were at a club that could spend 70-75 million euros, I would buy him.”

 Mourinho then addressed a concern about the Nigerian striker’s on-field behaviour: “I don’t have problems with Victor, I have a good relationship with him, even though he goes down a lot.

“I told Osimhen: ‘Look, you’re one of the best players in Africa along with Salah. Before there were Drogba, Eto’o, Weah. You can’t go down so much.”

While Osimhen’s talent is never being in doubt, another Chelsea  player and coach, Italian  Gianfranco Zola  has equally faulted the  conduct of  the Nigerian ace  striker.

Zola, a former Napoli player, reportedly  compared  the transfer sagas involving Paulo  Dybala and Osimhen this summer.

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The Argentinean decided to stay at Roma despite a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia, while Osimhen  pushed to leave Napoli and eventually joined Galatasaray on loan after talks with Al-Ahli, Chelsea, and PSG collapsed.

 “One is a nice story, but the other is not so good,” Zola reportedly told interview with Il Corriere dello Sport. “Dybala listened to his heart, not his wallet.

“I don’t want to judge anyone; everyone can make their best decisions. Indeed, Paulo’s history fills the hearts of those who love football,”  he added.

Osimhen is expected to make his  debut this weekend  for his new club when Galatasaray host Rizespor  in the Turkish Super Lig match.

Victor Osimhen, must  keep his prolific scoring form to be in the good books of Galatasaray fans.

Thousands  fans of   ‘The Yellow-Reds’ in the early hours of Tuesday gave  the  Super Eagles  ace striker  a rousing welcome to Istanbul  after  completing a loan deal from Napoli  

Prominent Turkish  sports journalist, Kadir Onur , described  Osimhen’s  switch  from Napoli to Galatasaray  ‘as an interesting  prospect’, adding the Nigerian  would have to maintain  his excellent scoring record  to enjoy a  ‘larger-than-life’ image  with  passionate  fans of the Asian Lion.

“Of course, Galatasaray has a  good list of strikers but Mauro Icardi is injured presently and  I think Osimhen would be a good  replacement for him,” Onur , a journalist with Istanbul-based Milliyet Newspaper. “Michy Batshuayi is another good striker with Galatasaray but I will say Osimhen’s transfer  is very interesting  because  we were not expecting  transfer for any striker but in the defence.”

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For Onur, Osimhen  must maintain  his prolificacy  in front of the goals  post  to have  good relationship with  the rank and file of  Galatasaray fans,

He said:“ If he(Osimhen) scores goals, then there  will be no problem  with the fans. If he runs and fight  for the ball, the fans  would love  him  in spite of lack of goal scoring.

“ He is a running player  and Gala fans  loves that kind of players.

“ In fact, I don’t think Osimhen  would have any problem  with fans in Galatasaray if he plays like Osimhen,” he added.

Elsewhere, ‘Gala’ sports director , Cenk Ergun, described Osimhen’s  transfer as  ‘extraordinary’, saying: “I hope it can be an important contribution to the great season that awaits Galatasaray,” he said.

Besides battling bitter rivals Fenerbahce for the Super Lig championship, the Istanbul giants will feature in the UEFA Europa League this season.

 By Beyonce  Ekpeni and Ayomide Hassan

 Following  the loan deal  of Victor Osimhen from  Napoli to Galatasaray, some football fans have expressed  their  opinions  on the transfer.

While many  believe that the transfer is good for his career, others  had some reservations, saying the  Nigeria international striker would have to do more to keep his profile.  

With Napoli, Osimhen  helped the club to win  the Italian Serie A title for the first time over three  decades.

However, Lateef  Olaniyan expressed reservations about Osimhen’s decision to move to Galatasaray, highlighting concerns about its potential impact on his career.

“I’m not happy about the transfer  to Turkey  because of his career,” he said. “Moving to Galatasaray is not the right decision because the Turkish league does not match the competitiveness  of  Serie A or English Premier League.

  He added :  “Going to Galatasaray could lead to a decline in his football career. The Turkish league might not offer the same opportunities or visibility as the top European leagues.”

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Another respondent, Akeem  Adewale said it was good Osimhen moved to Turkey  since Chelsea failed to meet his  wages ,  adding  that  the transfer to Galatasaray  would be of benefit  for both the club and the Nigeria international striker.

“ It  seems that financial consideration  was a significant factor  and Osimhen  choose  not to compromise on his wages  and his decision reflected his priority  which includes securing a favourable financial arrangement ,” Adewale, an electrical engineer , said.

However, Femi Adeleye, a Public Relations Officer, expressed approval of Osimhen’s move to Turkey.

He criticized Chelsea’s offer as inadequate compared to Osimhen’s earnings at Napoli,  adding that the Galatasaray transfer is a better opportunity.

“I will advise Osimhen to perform exceptionally well in Turkey to attract interest from other top European clubs in the future, ” Adeleye said.

On his part,  Williams Ekpeni, a real estate agent, also welcomed the transfer: “Galatasaray would provide Osimhen with ample playing time, which he will lack at Napoli, where he is not part of the team’s plans for the season. “

Ekpeni further urged  Osimhen to stay fit and give his best effort during his loan spell at Galatasaray.

Napoli coach Antonio Conte insists that the club was ‘consistent’ in dealing with Victor Osimhen and that the Nigerian forward won’t be reintroduced to the first team.

Conte spoke about the Osimhen transfer saga on Saturday night following a 2-1 win over Parma at the Stadio Maradona.

Osimhen has been left out of Napoli’s Serie A squad, and his replacement, Romelu Lukaku, received the No.9 at the Stadio Maradona.

Osimhen was in talks with PSG, Chelsea and Al-Ahli during the summer, but no club managed to reach an agreement with both Osi and the Partenopei.

Conte said at a post-match press conference on Saturday that the summer transfer window was “tough” for the Partenopei.

 “Some issues blocked it; perhaps if we had unlocked that [Osimhen] situation, we would have completed the team differently and earlier,” said the coach. “The club made an effort, and I must be happy with it.”

In fact, Napoli bought Lukaku from Chelsea for €30m despite not receiving the money from Osimhen’s sale.

 “I’m sorry about what happened. I’m sorry for Osimhen. I’m sorry for the club that didn’t monetize. I am sorry for myself because we didn’t complete the team as we wanted, but the club proved to be consistent in this situation,” continued Conte.

“Coherence is the starting point when it comes to respecting the rules. The club proved consistent, so I praise them for this attitude.”

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Mario Rui is also not part of Napoli’s Serie A squad, so Conte was asked if he’s planning to reintroduce some players to the first team.

 “No, this is the team. This is the group,” he replied.

 “We made decisions. I mentioned coherence before. Those who are not consistent don’t respect the rules. I repeat, respect to the club. The president proved consistent despite losing important money—credit where credit is due. The club were consistent, knowing that if the situation had unlocked earlier, we would all have been advantaged. As I said, we’ve started rebuilding. Good players arrived. They were on the table. It took us time to understand and think about it, but we signed them, and I am happy. We didn’t do everything, and it’s okay, but I think the club did well.”