Tag: Osimhen

• Nottingham list  Nigerian ace, Aina in final  EPL squad

Super Eagles forward Taiwo Awoniyi has declared that his compatriot and Napoli forward, Victor Osimhen, deserves to be rewarded with the 2023 Africa Footballer of the Year.

Already a Ballon d’Or nominee, Osimhen last season led Napoli to the Serie A title for the first time in 31 years and scored a remarkable 10 goals in the qualifiers, as the Super Eagles sealed their place at the forthcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote D’Ivoire.

Awoniyi, who was among the goals on Sunday when the Super Eagles lashed Sao Tome and Principe 6-0 in Uyo in their last Group A tie enroute to the AFCON finals, said Osimhen deserves top  football accolades, adding that the world indeed has to reward the former Lille star.

“There should be no debate (about who should win the next African Footballer of the Year),” Awoniyi told NationSport.

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“Of course, it has to be Victor Osimhen because he did what no other African or European player has done with his performance  last season with Napoli.”

Awoniyi who just scooped Nottingham Forest’s Player of the Month and Goal of the Month Awards for August further said: “He (Osimhen) deserves top awards and the world should commend him because getting to those stages takes a lot and he’s still going beyond people’s expectations, I believe.”

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest have  listed   Awoniyi  and Ola Aina  in their final 25-man squad list for the 2023/24 Premier League season, leaving out their compatriot, Dennis Emmanuel.

Aina, who only joined Forest this summer on a free transfer after leaving Serie A’s Torino, is among the 11 defenders available for Steve Cooper’s side.

Awoniyi will lead the attack for the Tricky Trees, with former Chelsea boy Callum Hudson-Odoi, ex-Liverpool forward Divock Origi, and Englishman Chris Wood providing the support act.

Dennis who has been linked with a move to Turkey’s Adana Demirspor and Istanbul Basaksehir after reportedly rejecting a proposal from Russian outfit CSKA Moscow, is not on the club’s final list.

Napoli star Victor Osimhen feels that being nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or is ‘just the beginning’ as he will ‘work hard’ to achieve all his dreams.

The Nigeria international is one of the four Serie A players included in France Football’s 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist.

“Feels good for this achievement, it was a childhood dream to be there among the best,” Osimhen told Football Fans Tribe while on international duty with Nigeria.

“It’s an amazing feeling for me. I thank those who have been supporting me, my family and friends. I am happy, I dedicate this to God. This is just the beginning. I’ll work hard to make sure I achieve all my dreams.”

Read Also: AFCON Qualifier: Osimhen hat-trick powers Nigeria to thumping win

Osimhen has scored three goals in the opening three Serie A games of the season and continued his interview by speaking about the rapport with Nigerian fans.

“It’s important to socialise with those who have been important to me,” he said. “All the Nigerians have been supporting me, through good and hard times. Everyone has been supporting not just me, but all the Nigerian players all around the World. I spent my holiday here and it was important to do this.

“I don’t think I’ve changed. I just want to be happy and socialise with these people who make sure we are on top of our game and give our very best. It’s important for me to try to socialise with them and just be happy and enjoy life.” 

• Says Super Eagles will finish strong

Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen is over the moon and said he’s delighted over his nomination for the Ballon d’Or.

He said it is dream come true.

The Napoli hitman was among the 30 players nominated for the 2023 men’s Ballon d’Or by the organisers, France Football Magazine, on Wednesday.

Osimhen made history as the first Nigerian to make the shortlist for the prestigious award.

The forward expressed happiness with his nomination.

“I must say it is a dream come true for me. It is a big honour for me and my family,” Osimhen told reporters in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

“I have worked so hard for a moment like this, and I must say it is a reward for all the years of hard work and dedication. This can only spur me to do better and get more recognition.”

Speaking on Sunday’s AFCON qualifier, Osimhen said the Super Eagles will take the game against Sao Tome and Principe with all the seriousness it deserves.

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 Nigeria pummelled the True Patriots of Sao Tome and Principe 10-0 when both teams met last November.

The Super Eagles have already qualified for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations but need a point from the game to secure the top spot in Group A.

Speaking during the team’s training in Uyo, the Naponi hotshot said: “We do not intend to take this match lightly because we intend to win. After the 10-0 victory in Morocco, they would have gone back to see the game so as to correct their mistakes so, it means we have to take the game serious. They will not be pushovers like the first time so we cannot afford to underrate them.    

Similarly, goalkeeper Ojo Olorunleke said Eagles will put up another good showing against the True Patriots.

“It’s true that we have already qualified for the next AFCON but we still have go out there and do our job,” the Enyimba shot stopper stated.

“The fans always want us to win and we can’t afford to disappoint them. We are professionals, so the most important thing is to put on a good show for them.”

The Nigeria Football Federation and Portuguese coach  Jose Santos Peseiro have reached an agreement for the latter to continue in his role as Head Coach of the Senior Men National Team of Nigeria, Super Eagles.

As stipulated in the original contract, drawn in May 2022, the Portuguese has been handed the mandate to lead the Super Eagles to, in the minimum, the semi-finals of the 34th  Africa Cup of Nations finals taking place in Cote d’Ivoire in a few months’ time.

Peseiro has steered the Super Eagles through the qualifiers and to a ticket with a match to spare, including a 10-0 record international win against Sao Tome and Principe in Agadir, Morocco in June 2022.

He has now agreed to continue in the role after accepting a pay cut on his earlier terms, with the new agreement also putting him in charge of the Super Eagles B – the home-based professionals who contest the biennial African Nations Championship.

Meanwhile, the Super Eagles’ supremo has invited on-field captain William Ekong, defender Tyronne Ebuehi and Semi Ajayi, midfielders Wilfred Ndidi and Frank Onyeka, and forwards Moses Simon, Victor Osimhen and Taiwo Awoniyi, among others, to next weekend’s qualification series final-day encounter against Sao Tome and Principe in Uyo.

Peseiro called three goalkeepers (including home-based Olorunleke Ojo), eight defenders, four midfielders and eight forwards for the game, slated for the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Sunday, 10 September.

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Nigeria, on 12 points from their previous five matches, are already guaranteed a place in the finals, but must earn at least a point to be sure of topping the group ahead of second-placed Guinea Bissau, who are on 10 points and play at home to Sierra Leone in Bissau.

Peseiro has called for the first time Belgium-based centre-back Jordan Torunarigha and forwards Victor Boniface and Gift Orban, and there are recalls for Portugal-based left back Bruno Onyemaechi and defensive midfielder Raphael Onyedika.

ALL THE INVITED PLAYERS:

Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (Omonia FC); Olorunleke Ojo (Enyimba ); Adebayo Adeleye (Hapoel Jerusalem)

Defenders: Olaoluwa Aina (Nottingham Forest); Tyronne Ebuehi (Empoli FC); Jordan Torunarigha (KAA Gent); William Ekong (PAOK FC); Semi Ajayi (West Brom; Calvin Bassey (Fulham); Jamilu Collins (Cardiff FC); Bruno Onyemaechi (Boavista )

Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester ); Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge); Joe Ayodele-Aribo (Southampton); Frank Onyeka (Brentford )

Forwards: Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester); Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan); Moses Simon (Nantes,); Ademola Lookman (Atalanta); Victor Osimhen (Napoli ); Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest); Gift Orban (KAA Gent); Victor Boniface (Leverkusen)

Chukwueze earns €4m at Milan

Nigeria international striker Victor Osimhen is  now the most highest paid player  with  Napoli  after  the  wage bill of the Serie A champions for the  2023/24 season was reportedly laid bare by Calcio e Finanza.

Though Napoli  and Osimhen’s team  had been  haggling  over a new  contract, Football Italia reported  yesterday that  the Super Eagles striker is the club’s  biggest earner  in the on-going season with a salary of €4.5m net.

Only last month, Gianluca Di Marzio detailed  how Osimhen will earn over €10m net per season in his new Napoli deal, which will l extend his stay to June 2026. Only one release clause will be included, worth €150m, and it will not be valid for Italy for the first year.

This agreement  reportedly suits all parties after president Aurelio De Laurentiis ensured  that Osimhen will stay in the Campania capital for another season at least and would command a high fee should a European giant arrive next summer.  

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But despite trimming their wage bill a little heading into the 2023-24 season, Osimhen  is said to be  the Partenopei’s highest paid player with a salary of €4.5m net while  the midfield duo Piotr Zielinski and Stanislav Lobotka, who both earn €3.5m net. Star winger Kvaratskhelia is one of the lowest paid in the team, receiving just €1m net per season.

Calcio e Finanza analysed Napoli’s wage bill for the 2023-24 season, discovering that the team had managed to cut costs by around €3m compared to their €71.8m gross wage bill for their Scudetto-winning campaign.

Napoli now pay a total of around €42.5m net or €68m gross, cutting costs following the departures of Kim Min-Jae, Hirving Lozano, Tanguy Ndombele and Bartosz Bereszynski.

In a related  development,  Osimhen’s compatriot at AC Milan, Samuel Chukwueze  is equally said to be one of his side’s highest paid player earning   €4m net in wages following his switch from Villarreal in the Summer.

According to Football Italia, the highest paid player in the Rossoneri squad is Rafael Leao, who recently agreed a new five-year deal worth €5m net per season with the three new signings of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Christian Pulisic and Chukwueze each earning  €4m net in wages.

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen received the Capocannoniere Award for 2022-23 ahead of Sunday’s Serie A game against Sassuolo.

The Nigeria international scored 26 goals in 32 league games last season, contributing to Napoli’s first Serie A title in 33 years.

He received the AIC Capocannoniere Award ahead of Sunday’s league game against Sassuolo, the first home game in 2023-24 for the Serie A defending champions.

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Osimhen has picked up where we left off, scoring three goals in the opening two Serie A games of the season.

Meanwhile, Napoli coach Luis Garcia has praised Osimhen  for the sporting gesture of handing over the ball to Giacomo Raspadori for their second penalty against Sassuolo on Sunday.

Osimhen had earlier opened the scoring from the spot at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to register his third Serie A goal of the season after bagging a brace in the 3-1 win at Frosinone the previous weekend.

The Nigeria international an opportunity to grab his second goal against the Neroverdi when Garcia’s side was awarded another penalty on the hour mark, but he decided to let Raspadori take the spot-kick instead.

Though the young Italy international missed from 12 yards out, Giovanni Di Lorenzo spared his team-mate’s blushes by sealing the 2-0 win four minutes later.

The Frenchman hailed Osimhen for his unselfish act: “Victor scored and made a world-class gesture by giving the penalty to Raspadori. Raspadori can play many roles. He defends, runs and helps the team. Apart from a bit of bad luck and the goalposts, I’m happy with his game. Missing a penalty happens to the greatest players in football.”

It is believed that there are still some details to discuss between Napoli and Victor Osimhen before the Nigerian signs off on a new contract extension, having recently told the media that he is still a Napoli player ‘for now.’

Multiple reports in recent weeks had claimed that an agreement over a new deal for Osimhen had practically been reached, but speaking after Napoli’s opening game of the Serie A season, Osimhen cast more doubt on his situation.

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Last season’s top scorer had been linked with a move away from Naples this summer, although with a price tag of around €200m, it was mainly teams in Saudi Arabia lining up.

Osimhen’s agent, Roberto Calenda, has been in for a series of meetings with representatives from Napoli at various stages of the summer, and it had been reported that a renewal was effectively a done deal.

Il Corriere dello Sport noted that Napoli are prepared to pay Osimhen a gross annual salary of €15m, which would make him the highest earner in Serie A.

There would also be a release clause included, set at €150m for teams outside Italy in the summer of 2024. That clause would also open up for teams within Serie A the following year.

However, with his comments after Napoli’s 3-1 win over newly-promoted Frosinone, during which he scored an emphatic brace, Osimhen suggested that an extension was not as close as many had thought.

 “The president is the boss,” Osimhen said. “We are still negotiating, we’ll see at the end of the transfer window. For now, I am a Napoli player which is the most important thing.

He continued: “I will give my heart and soul to this team as I’ve always done in the past. We’ll see what happens.”