Tag: Osimhen

Napoli have told Premier League club Chelsea they will have to pay the full release clause of about 130 Million Euros to sign Victor Osimhen in the summer.

The Standard reported that Napoli are demanding the full amount on the release clause for the 25-year-old striker.

Other big admirers of the Super Eagles striker like PSG and Arsenal will also have to pay the price to get their man.

Read Also: EPL: Darwin Nunez late goal against Nottingham keeps Liverpool on top

Osimhen has made it clear he will quit the Serie A champions this summer and Napoli themselves are prepared for his exit, but at a huge price.

Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis said this week there is a release clause in the new contract that Osimhen signed recently.

Chairman of the Napoli board, Aurelien De Laurentiis, has revealed that he doesn’t have the power to stand in the way of his players if they choose to exit the club, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Italian has seen several star players like Gonzalo Higuain, Edinson Cavani, and Min-Jae Kim leave the club during his tenure as chairman and another exit won’t phase the 74-year-old.

Napoli’s marksman, Victor Osimhen has been linked with a move abroad since his staggering goalscoring prowess hit top gear last season, but the club have a £113m release clause in the 25-year-old’s contract.

Read Also: Osimhen’s  post AFCON  scoring form excites  new Napoli boss

Chelsea are currently in the market for a traditional striker to solve their goalscoring problems and have identified the Nigerian forward as a solution, but face stiff competition from Arsenal and French Ligue 1 side, Paris Saint-Germain.

De Laurentiis admitted yesterday that he doesn’t wield the power to force players to remain in Naples against their will.

“Some players fell in love with Napoli and stayed, like Marek Hamsik for eleven years, or like others for eight years, and others are attracted by Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea. So you cannot stop them, especially when they have a fixed amount of money where they can be bought,” the President said at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit in London in quotes revealed by The Athletic.

Napoli head coach, Francesco Calzona, is happy with the current form of Super Eagles attacker, Victor Osimhen who hit a hat trick in the Partenopei 6-1 away win at Sassuolo on Wednesday night.

Calzona admitted Osimhen participation at the 2023 AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire  drained him mentally and physically but noted that it was awesome to see the Nigerian quickly recovering from it to help Napoli in the business end of the Italian Serie A season and the UEFA Champions League.

Osimhen with 11 goals from 15 league games has scored five goals in his past three games including the crucial equaliser in Napoli’s 1-1 home draw with Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 tie played .

“Osimhen is getting back to his best and that’s clear to see. The Africa Cup of Nations is incredibly draining both mentally and physically and he needed to get into top shape again. Kvara is finding his old sparkle as well,” the coach told journalists.

The gaffer also said he was pleased with the fantastic job done but not getting carried away after Napoli stunned Sassuolo with six goals in Reggio Emilia.

Read Also: Cement price hike: NIQS throws support for importation

 “It’s a big win but we must keep getting better because we need lots more wins if we’re to get back up the table,” the coach offered following his side’s 6-1 victory. “We needed a convincing performance today and I thought we were very good tactically. Now we have to keep going in this direction.

 “Since I joined, the lads have spared no effort in trying to get back to their old selves. That shows how good the spirit is in this group.

“It’s not easy so shake off the effects of months of not performing at your best but in the weeks I’ve been here I’ve seen real commitment and desire from the lads to show their true worth.”

He added:  “It will take a bit of time but I’m sure everyone will give their all until the end so that we can achieve as much as we can. Right now we just need to focus on one game at a time because we can’t be looking too far ahead. We have hopes and ambition but we’ll see where we are come the end of the season.”

The reigning African Footballer of the Year and Napoli FC goal-scoring sensation, Victor Osimhen, Bayer Leverkusen forward, Victor Boniface and reigning African Women Footballer of the Year, Asisat Oshoala  top the list of nominees unveiled by organizers of the nation’s longest running football awards, the Nigeria Pitch Awards at a well-attended Press Conference yesterday in Lagos.

The Super Eagles goal poacher who had an impressive AFCON tournament and has scored 11 goals in 15 appearances for his Italian club side,  ranked in  four nominations in the Striker of the Year, King of the Pitch, Sam Okwaraji and Sportsmanship award categories.

 Boniface, who missed the just concluded AFCON due to injuries sustained on the eve  of  continental soccer event, garnered  two  nominations in the Striker of the Year and King of the Pitch award categories.

In the Goalkeeper of the Year category, Kayode Bankole (Remo Stars FC), Amas Obasogie (Bendel Insurance FC) and Ojo Olorunleke (Enyimba FC) made the shortlist while Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC), Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest FC) and Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahçe SK) were named in the Defender of the Year category.

The competition in the Midfielder of the Year pitched AI Hassan Yusuf (Royal Antwerp FC) against Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City FC) and Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC). Robert Mizo (Bayelsa United) NPFL top goal scoring machine last season will compete for the Striker of the Year Award with Victor Osimhen (Napoli FC) and Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen).

In the Queen of the Pitch category, Rasheedat Ajibade, Atlético de Madrid Femenino and Super Falcon winger will attempt to starve of competition from Chiamaka Nnadozie, the Paris FC and Best Woman Goalkeeper in Africa and reigning African Women Footballer of the Year, Asisat Oshoala who is also the reigning Queen of the Pitch.

The top gong award category, King of the Pitch will be a straight fight between Osimhen (Napoli FC), Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen) and NPFL sensation, Emeka Obioma (Enyimba FC).

The Nigeria Pitch Award has emerged as the longest running football awards in the country and one of the few audited awards in Africa. The award process, which has been described as transparent and credible is dependent of votes by over 100 sport editors across the country. Voting which takes place online is coordinated by SIAO Partners, an indigenous accounting and auditing firm.

Read Also: Cement price hike: NIQS throws support for importation

All votes were  collated and audited by different teams set up within the firm without interference from Lenders Consult International, the organizers and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

The Press Conference which was called to announce the shortlist of nominees for 2023 and the 10th  Award Ceremony was attended by top dignitaries including Ademola Olajire, the NFF Director of Communication,  Oluwadare Ojelade, representing SIAO, Tony Ubani and Kunle Salami, the President and Vice President of the Nigerian Guild of Sports Editors respectively and other sports top editors and journalists.

Photo : (L-R)Tony Ubani, President, Nigerian Guild of Sports Editors, Ademola Olajire, NFF Communications Director, Shina Philips, President, Nigeria Pitch Awards and Oluwadare Ojelade, SIAO Representative.

2023 NIGERIA PITCH AWARDS: Full List of Nominees

GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR

Kayode Bankole                                              Remo Stars

Amas Obasogie                                                Bendel Insurance

Ojo Olorunleke                                                Enyimba FC

DEFENDER OF THE YEAR

Calvin Bassey                                      Fulham FC

Ola Aina                                              Nottingham Forest FC

Bright Osayi-Samuel                            Fenerbahçe SK

MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR

AI Hassan Yusuf                                 Royal Antwerp FC

Wilfred Ndidi                                      Leicester City FC

Alex Iwobi                                           Fulham FC

STRIKER OF THE YEAR

Robert Mizo                                         Bayelsa United

Victor Osimhen                                               Napoli FC

Victor Boniface                                               Bayer Leverkusen

QUEEN OF THE PITCH

Rasheedat Ajibade                               Atlético de Madrid Femenino

Chiamaka Nnadozie                            Paris FC

Asisat Oshoala                                                 FC Barcelona Femení

KING OF THE PITCH

Victor Osimhen                                               Napoli FC

Emeka Obioma                                                Enyimba FC

Victor Boniface                                               Bayer Leverkusen

TEAM OF THE YEAR

Super Falcons                        

Enyimba                                

Remo Stars                            

COACH OF THE YEAR

Daniel Ogunmodede                                        Remo Stars

Finidi George                                                   Enyimba FC

Randy Waldrum                                              Super Falcons

SAM OKWARAJI AWARD

Victor Osimhen                                                           Napoli FC

Ahmed Musa                                                   Sivasspor

Kunle Soname                                                             Chairman, Remo Stars

STATE WITH THE BEST GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Edo

Delta

Lagos

FOOTBALL PITCH OF THE YEAR

Mobolaji Johnson Sport Arena                                    Onikan, Lagos State

Remo Stars Stadium                                          Remo, Ogun State.

Godswill Akpabio Int’l Stadium                                   Uyo, Akwa Ibom State

FOOTBALL FRIENDLY GOVERNOR OF THE YEAR

His Excellency, Umo Eno                                Akwa Ibom State

His Excellency, Babajide Sanwo-Olu              Lagos State

His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki                               Edo State

CORPORATE SPONSOR OF FOOTBALL AWARD

Bet9ja                                                              Sport Betting

GTI Financial                                                   Financial Services

MTN Nigeria                                                    Telecom

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD

Hon. Kunle Soname                                        Chairman, Remo Stars FC

Victor Osimhen                                                           Napoli FC

Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye                                 Chairman, NPFL Board

FOOTBALL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – PRINT

Christian Okpara                                              The Guardian Newspapers

Charles Diya                                                    New Telegraph Newspapers

Johnny Edward                                                            Punch Newspapers

FOOTBALL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – TV

Miyen Akiri                                                     TVC

Mozez Praiz                                                     Supersport

Cecilia Omorogbe                                            Channels TV

FOOTBALL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – RADIO

Olawale Adigun                                               Mainland FM

Yinka Oyedele                                                             Brilla 88.9 FM

Anthony Bekederemo                                      Brila 88.9 FM

FOOTBALL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – ONLINE

Samuel Ahmadu                                              Savid News                         

Tobi Adepoju                                                  Oganla Media

Kunle Solaja                                                    Sportsvillagesquare.com

Photo: Victor Osimhen-Kung of the Pitch for 2022

A brilliant Victor Osimhen hat-trick helped Napoli secured their first away win since last November as they romped to a 6-1 win against struggling Sassuolo yesterday.

The three goals lifted the Super Eagles striker to the fourth spot in the race for the Serie A best attacker with 11 goals from 15 games with five assists.

While the  Neroverdi made their debut under interim coach Bigica, having sacked Alessio Dionisi on Sunday after one win and one draw in 13 competitive matches,  Napoli’s  Francesco Calzona was still looking for his first win following 1-1 stalemates with Barcelona and Cagliari. 

However, Sassuolo took the lead against the run of play when Uros Racic started the move, the acrobatic Andrea Pinamonti attempt was cleared to the edge of the area and Racic finished it with a snooker shot that bent around Alex Meret and back into the far bottom corner.

But soon  Napoli got their equaliser and it  was a well-worked team goal, as Di Lorenzo found Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa down the right, his inspired back-heel flick set up defender Amir Rrahmani to complete the move by sweeping in from 10 yards.

Read Also: Troost-Ekong coy on Osimhen’s future in Italy

Under 120 seconds later, Napoli had turned the game around completely. Di Lorenzo again sent someone down the right, this time Matteo Politano, who pulled it back for Osimhen to meet it first time from seven yards.

Kvicha Kvaratskhelia spotted Andrea Consigli off his line and attempted an audacious lob from the centre-circle that was inches over. In trying to scramble back, Consigli accidentally pulled the net off the bar, so the goalkeeper and Osimhen worked together with staff to get it taped back up.

Once play resumed, Napoli added a third goal, as Matheus Henrique was caught in possession in midfield and the Politano slide-rule pass allowed Osimhen to spring the offside trap, beating an on-rushing Consigli.

Osimhen completed his hat-trick straight after the restart thanks to some suicidal defending, as Ruan Tressoldi trying to play it out from the back simply passed it straight to Kvaratskhelia, who rolled across for the Nigerian’s tap-in.

Sassuolo fell to pieces and Napoli added a fifth moments later following another error, Kvaratskhelia running down the left, cutting inside and curling right-footed into the far corner from just inside the box.

Giacomo Raspadori’s cushioned volley on a Kvaratskhelia cross was straight at Consigli, but Kvaratskhelia added another when a corner was flicked on to him, the first attempt was charged down, so he smashed the second into the roof of the net.

• *Agents  of Nigerian ace parley with Chelsea 

Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong admitted he ‘knows’ where Chelsea and Arsenal target Victor Osimhen will play next season.

The Napoli star is widely expected to leave the Campania capital in the coming summer transfer window, with his new contract containing a €120-130m release clause. He’s already hinted that he’s decided his next step when speaking to the press last month.

The Napoli project has collapsed over the last six months, but Osimhen has still managed to shine despite the difficulties, scoring 10 goals and providing three assists across 20 appearances this term. At the recent Africa Cup of Nations, he scored once and provided three assists.

Speaking to Sky Sport via TMW, Troost-Ekong first discussed the struggles of his former clubs Salernitana and Udinese this season.

 “I always follow Serie A, it’s a great league. This weekend with Salernitana-Udinese will be special for me, also because it was also the last match I played in my last season. The points would certainly be more useful to Salernitana than to Udinese.”

He remembered his time at Tottenham with Harry Kane.

 “We started together 14 years ago and after training he always stayed on the pitch to try something else: shots, penalties, work with the goalkeepers.

 “He always wanted to grow, and this ultimately led him to reach the top of the top. He is an example of the desire to improve and work harder.”

Finally, Troost-Ekong was asked if he knew where Osimhen would play next year.

 “I really can’t tell you anything, but I know!”

Meanwhile, Chelsea have  reportedly stepped up their chase for  Osimhen as they have opened talks with his representatives over his personal terms.

Read Also: House invites CBN Gov over REMITA leakages

Chelsea are among the top European clubs gunning for Osimhen and so have begun discussions with his agents, according to transfer expert Rudy Galetti.

Osimhen, according to multiple reports, is the top transfer target for London club, who the striker supported while he was growing up in Lagos.

The Super Eagles striker is already on a good salary of around Nine Million Euros a year at Napoli after he extended his contract with the Serie A champions till June 2026.

He will want a bigger pay going forward and Chelsea can afford this. It is believed that after agreeing the striker’s personal terms, Chelsea could then begin talks with his club.

Napoli are believed to have placed a 130 Million Euros exit clause on the player’s new contract.

Rival London club Arsenal are also ready to pay Osimhen big.

Chelsea and Arsenal remain in the race for Victor Osimhen, according to Ben Jacobs’ sources who claimed  the striker’s priority is a move to the Premier League.

Osimhen has recently signed a contract extension until June 2026 with Napoli, but the defending Serie A champions are prepared to part company with their star striker who has a release clause in the region of €130m attached to his new deal.

Chelsea, Arsenal and PSG are among the clubs linked with securing his services over the summer and journalist Ben Jacobs says Osimhen’s priority is to move to England at the end of the season.

Read Also: Super Eagles Tracker: Osimhen’s goal fails to lift  Napoli against Cagliari

 “We still can’t rule out Arsenal in the race for Osimhen. It’s also true that PSG have Osimhen very, very high on their list of targets and can move in the market because they will free up money due to Kylian Mbappe’s departure,” the journalist told Givemesport.

 “I’m still told by sources that Osimhen’s priority is the Premier League, which is encouraging for Chelsea and Arsenal. He would be looking for about £250,000 per week, which Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG would all be happy to pay.”

Osimhen has scored twice in two matches under Francesco Calzona since returning from AFCON, finding the net against Barcelona in the Champions League and Cagliari in Serie A.

The Nigeria international joined Napoli in 2020 and has scored 69 goals in 121 matches with the Partenopei, becoming Serie A’s Capocannoniere in 2022-23 when Napoli won their first Scudetto in 33 years.

• Onuachu, Moffi fire blanks

Victor Osimhen bagged his eighth league goal of the season but it was not  enough  to lead Serie A reigning champions, Napoli to  the much needed win in their 1-1 draw at Cagliari.

The Partenopei seemed to be coasting to an away win when Osimhen scored in the 66th minute but Zito Luvumbo’s 96th  minute goal meant Napoli would only settle for a point instead of three.

Napoli are ninth on the league table with 37 points from 25 games and are in danger of not qualifying for European football with their dreadful season’s performance.

Osimhen had earlier scored a stoppage time goal in Naples to ensure their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 contest with Barcelona ended in a 1-1 draw midweek.

The Super Eagles attacker has scored 10 goals and created three assists from 20 games in all competitions for Napoli this season.

Elsewhere in France, Term Moffi fired blanks in his 19th  game of the season in OGC Nice’s goalless draw at home to Clermont Foot.

He was introduced in the 61st minute as Jeremie Boga’s replacement but he could not do much as Nice slipped to the fourth with 40 points from 23 games.

Because of his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Eagles, Moffi has only played 19 games with six goals and two assists to his credit.

In Turkey, Sivasspor without Ahmed Musa dazed Pendikspor 4-1 to move to the sixth spot with 37 points from 27 games while Paul Onuachu was introduced in the 63rd minute in place of Enis Destan in Trabzonspor’s 1-0 home win over Adana Demirspor.

The win restored them   to the third spot with 46 points from 27 games with the only goal of the game coming off the boot of Egyptian striker, Mahmood Trezeguet in the 21st.minute.

Onuachu has played in 17 league games with nine goals and three assists. He has two yellow cards too.

In Holland, former Flying Eagles invitee, Hamdi Akujobi was listed for Almere City FC who were beaten 2-0 at home by reigning champions, Feyenoord. Almere City remain in the 12th spot with 27 points from 23 games. Yankuba Minteh’s brace in the 70th and 92nd minutes sunk the Dutch League top-flight debutants. Hamdi has played 13 games with two assists.

Read Also: 65 CSOs pull out from planned Labour’s nationwide protest

In Belgium, Anderlecht extended their lead over third placed Club Brugge which had Raphael Onyedika glued to the bench in the game. Anderlecht beat Club Brugge 2-1 away. Club Brugge have 45 points from 27 games to go 12 points adrift of second placed Anderlecht.

Igoh Ogbu and Muhammed Tijani were both in action for Slavia Prague in the Czech Republic top-flight in their 3-0 home win over Perdubice Ogbu was replaced in the 70th minute while Tijani was available throughout. Slavia Prague are second on the table with 55 points from 22 points. They are four points behind Sparta Prague who have 59 points from 22 games also. Sparta Prague paraded Victor Olatunji who was introduced to the game in the 61st minute. They won the game 3-1 away.

In Germany, back injury stopped Super Eagles defender, Kevin Akpoguma from playing for Hoffenheim in their 3-2 away win at Borussia Dortmund.