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Arsenal and Manchester United-linked striker Victor Osimhen has openly revealed his stance on his Napoli future…
THE LOWDOWN: TERRIFIC SEASON
Napoli initially signed Osimhen from Lille in July 2020, forking out a club-record fee of €70 million (£60m/$73m) to secure the services of one of the highest-rated young forwards in Europe.
The 23-year-old has hit 27 goals in his first 60 outings for the Italian outfit.
He has enjoyed a terrific season under Luciano Spalletti in Serie A, bagging 13 goals and five assists from 25 games, reportedly attracting interest from Manchester United and Arsenal in the process.
The forward has also been linked to Newcastle United in recent weeks, but he remains under contract at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium until 2025.
Spalletti’s continued presence at Napoli will likely ensure that the Nigerian stays put, as he believes he has taken his game to new heights thanks to the Italian tactician’s man-management skills.
THE LATEST: FOR MANY YEARS
Speaking to Napoli Radio Kiss Kiss, the former LOSC Lille man said:
“I have to thank Spalletti so much.
“He helped me a lot in my growth as a footballer from many points of view, and I have to thank him and his staff for helping me score all these goals. They helped me improve my movement.
“He always talks to me after training and trains me both with and without the ball. I know I’m dealing with a very high-level coach, really. It is a great honour and a real pleasure to be trained by him, and I hope to be able to work with him for many more years.”
“It is a great honour for me to have achieved this goal [qualifying for the Champions League] with my team-mates. We are very happy to be able to measure ourselves in the biggest European club competition.
“We are more disappointed than [the fans] for not having [won the title]. We are, because we had the quality to win it. It was our dream to win it. Of course, our hope remains to win the title and for this, we will give everything next season to try again.”
THE VERDICT: BLOW
The £54m-rated hitman’s comments will come as a huge blow to Arsenal and his other suitors.
At 23 years of age, Osimhen has the potential to become one of the best players in the world, which meant any of his interested parties will have been willing to fork out top dollar for his signature.
Dubbed ‘the most terrifying striker in Europe‘ by journalist and African football expert Saddick Adams, the Nigeria international has no fewer than 17 goals and six assists in total over all competitions so far this season (Transfermarkt), and the forward could well have been a real hit in the Premier League in the future.
With Erling Haaland destined for Manchester City this summer, the Gunners could have signed their own big name number nine to really send out a statement.
AND in other news, “Like the project” – £45m-rated hitman’s agent speaks out on Arsenal links…
