Reports today claim Chelsea are willing to pay the release clause of Napoli star Victor Osimhen, something Arsenal can’t let happen in their quest for a goalscorer.
The 25-year-old Nigerian striker seems destined to leave the Campania capital at the end of the season, recently penning a new contract that includes a €130m release clause. He spoke to CBS on Tuesday and revealed he’d decided ‘the next step’ of his career.
The interview wasn’t pre-agreed with Napoli and all signs are now pointing to an Osimhen departure in the summer, with the striker seemingly ready to move on after the club’s post-Scudetto hangover. Walter Mazzarri’s side currently sit ninth in the Serie A table, three points behind fourth place Fiorentina.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reported today that Chelsea are willing to activate Osimhen’s €130m release clause in the summer, wanting to add the Nigerian star to their squad after a difficult campaign under Mauricio Pochettino.
The Blues find themselves ninth in the Premier League table after 21 games, 12 points behind the Champions League spots, and it’s clear that something needs to be done to try and resolve the club’s recent malaise.
Another club who need a striker in the summer are Arsenal, who were keeping tabs on the Napoli star last year. Mikel Arteta’s side still don’t have a natural goalscorer to lead the frontline, with Gabriel Jesus acting as a more supporting figure, and it could cost them this term.
A run of poor form over the last six weeks saw the Gunners pick up just two wins in their last six league outings, a spell that now sees them trail Liverpool by five points at the top of the Premier League table.
On paper, Osimhen seems to be the perfect option to complete Arteta’s Arsenal squad, adding a reliable and inventive goalscorer to a squad brimming with creativity. His strong ability to link up with his teammates means he’d be a great fit for a system so focused on build-up play.
The Nigerian striker was the star of the show in Napoli’s historic Scudetto winning season last year, scoring 26 goals and providing five assists in 32 league games. Whilst these numbers are impressive, the underlying numbers paint a far more beautiful picture.
Across the season, Osimhen averaged 4.63 shots per 90 minutes, 0.84 non-penalty goals per 90, 2.81 shot-creating actions per 90 and 8.14 touches in the opposition box per 90, numbers that were far better than his peers across Europe’s top five leagues.
An efficient centre forward, the 25-year-old is able to play the decisive pass to his teammates when needed but is best used as a focal point of the attack, able to carve open defences with his determined off-the-ball movement.
Comparing Osimhen’s underlying numbers to Gabriel Jesus’ shows why the Napoli star is a much-needed figure in North London, being the last piece of the puzzle needed to try and compete with the relentless Manchester City.
The graph above compares the work of Osimhen in Serie A and Gabriel Jesus in the Premier League last season, displaying some clear differences between the two number nines.
The most obvious areas of difference are the production and team-play sides of the game; the Brazilian striker plays far more passes, creates significantly more shots, produces more assists and helps out much more defensively.
On the other side of the coin, Osimhen scored more goals, took more shots and produced more expected goals, being a lethal figure in the opposition penalty area. A formation featuring both forwards could even allow the qualities of each to shine further, giving Arteta more possible options.
With Chelsea seriously setting their sights on Osimhen in the summer, Arsenal need to get serious about the Napoli striker fast if they don’t want to miss out on a key transfer market opportunity in the summer.
Words: Apollo Heyes