daveP:
Truly. Since he already knows his tactical approach, all he needs is to try out the new legs and see how well they blend in to his pleasure or if they can offer new ideas that will amplify advantage to the team. They should be arranging 2 friendlies monthly till the D-day.

mank1234:


It's a real certificate. Disappointment won't allow them to show it..

This Fulham I'm seeing here are defending like school boys. If Chelsea were clinical, it would have reached 5 now.

TheSuperNerd:
Ahead of Osimhen's first ever face off vs The World's Biggest Football Club, the Elite of the Elites, Giant of all Giants, Real Madrid, Mark Doyle of Goal writes....


Victor Osimhen: Napoli's disrespected striker is the ideal Karim Benzema replacement for Los Blancos


The Nigerian shares a deep bond with Naples and its people - but relations with his club are strained after two stupid social media posts

Ahead of Tuesday's mouth-watering Champions League meeting with Real Madrid at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Napoli coach Rudi Garcia praised his side's illustrious opponents for replacing Karim Benzema with Jude Bellingham.

However, while the Englishman is a multi-skilled generational talent that has done an outstanding job to date of making up for the shock loss of one of the game's great goalscorers, he is not a No.9, as even Garcia acknowledged. So, it would be foolish - and indeed unfair - to expect him to maintain his current strike-rate of seven goals in eight games.

Of course, Joselu has made a reasonable start to his Santiago Bernabeu career, as Garcia also pointed out, but the 33-year-old is neither an elite-level striker nor a long-term solution. But let's face it, if Madrid want to get back to winning Champions Leagues, they need a world-class centre-forward, just like the one they will be going up against in Naples.

And what's so fascinating about this crunch Group C clash is that Victor Osimhen might even be attainable during the January transfer window, thanks in no small part to one of the most shocking social media gaffes in Italian football history.



Diplomatic incident
Napoli posted two videos to TikTok after last month's 0-0 draw with Bologna. In one, Osimhen was mocked for missing a penalty. In the other, he was compared to a coconut. Both were eventually taken down - but by that stage it was too late. The damage had already been done.

The posts had literally created a diplomatic incident, with Nigeria's sports minister, Senator John Owah Enoh, revealing that contact had been made with not only the player himself, but also the country's ambassador to Italy to ensure that "our athletes are afforded the respect they deserve and that they are not exposed to injustice, discrimination and unfair teasing".

Napoli insisted that it had never been their intention to "offend" Osimhen, whom they described "as a treasure of this club", and pointed out that they had rebuffed every offer received for the forward during the summer transfer window to further underline how highly they value him.


'Nobody wanted to be hurtful'

It was a very modern apology, though. Napoli were only 'sorry if anyone was offended' and the problem was that Osimhen was outraged by the posts. While he was deleting every single Napoli-related image from his Instagram account, his agent, Roberto Calenda, was threatening legal action.

Garcia tried to calm the situation, arguing "Nobody wanted to be hurtful, not the TikTok with the video of Victor, nor Victor by taking down his photographs on social media. Nobody intended to hurt anyone, these are instinctive reactions and are understandable."

However, Osimhen remains miffed. He appeared to blank his team-mates before Napoli's next outing, against Udinese, and also refused to celebrate after scoring in the 4-0 win at the Maradona. His subsequent strike against Lecce on Saturday was also met with a muted reaction, which only heightened the tension among Napoli fans.



'I will not allow anyone to come between us'
Osimhen finally broke his silence the following day to express his enduring love for Naples and its peoples. "I will not allow anyone to come between us," he declared on Instagram. "The passion of the people of Naples fuels my fire to always play with my heart and soul, and the love for the badge is unwavering as I wear it with pride."

Tellingly, though, Osimhen made no mention of the club itself, which has led to further speculation over his future.

There's certainly no denying that this controversy could not have come at a worse time for Napoli, who are presently trying to tie Osimhen down to a new contract. An extension looked set to be signed during the summer, but the two parties have still not come to an agreement over the size of the buy-out clause, which is obviously of great interest to the many clubs interested in Osimhen's services.



Destined to leave eventually

Al-Hilal, remember, offered a fee in the region of €200 million (£174m/$212m) for the 24-year-old during the off-season, only to be told by Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, "Your offer can buy a single foot of Osimhen. For next year, I think you'll be able to offer €500m and we'll maybe consider your offer, but I'll repeat myself: maybe."

The thing is, though, as it stands, Napoli won't be able to demand such a fee for Osimhen next year, given his contract expires in 2025. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that they get Osimhen to not only put pen to paper on a new deal, but also get him to agree to a buy-out clause that ensures that Napoli will not be short-changed when the time comes to cash in on their most valuable asset.

Because make no mistake about it: Osimhen will eventually move on. He's never hidden his desire to play for a top Premier League club (he grew up idolising Didier Drogba, for what it's worth), while it's also been claimed that Madrid are the only team he'd consider joining.



Mbappe and Osimhen could play together

A move to the Bernabeu would certainly make a lot of sense, as it would provide Osimhen with the platform he deserves to prove himself a genuine superstar, while at the same time filling the colossal void left by Benzema in the Blancos' attack.

Of course, in terms of like-for-like replacements, Harry Kane would have been the better option for Madrid. The England captain is, just like Benzema, capable of serving a side as both a provider and a finisher. Kane would have tied the forward line together in a very similar way to the Frenchman.

However, it's easy to understand why Madrid baulked at the idea of paying a nine-figure fee for a 30-year-old, particularly when they remain intent on prising Kylian Mbappe away from Paris Saint-Germain. The World Cup winner remains Florentino Perez's primary transfer target and there remains the suspicion that Mbappe will end up at the Bernabeu eventually.

But that shouldn't rule Real out of a move for Osimhen - at least not from a sporting perspective. For starters, he does not play in the same position as Mbappe and the idea of two such pacey young attackers lining up alongside Vinicius Jr is a mouth-watering prospect, even for neutrals.

In that sense, Osimhen is actually an even better fit for Madrid than Kane. It's not just that he's faster or younger, he's also far more more appealing from a marketing perspective, given he is such a joy to watch in full flow.

It's also well worth emphasising that Osimhen has many strings to his bow. He is not just quick; he is also powerful, skilful and can climb even higher than Cristiano Ronaldo to get his head on crosses, which is precisely why former Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti described last season's Capocannoniere as "the complete package".


'Osimhen is phenomenal'

Indeed, many pundits and coaches would argue that while Osimhen is not as prolific as Erling Haaland, he is far more exciting to watch, as he can sometimes evoke memories of the great Ronaldo by taking on entire defences on his own. As former Napoli boss Walter Mazzarri once told DAZN, "Osimhen is phenomenal because he runs alone at five players and still gets through."

Madrid are undeniably crying out for such a striker. The Liga leaders have made an encouraging start to the 2023-24 campaign, but the fear remains that they will eventually pay the price for refusing to sign a world-class replacement for Benzema, particularly in the latter stages of the Champions League. In truth, it wouldn't even be a surprise if their hopes of topping their group were dealt a heavy blow by Osimhen himself on Tuesday night.

So, if there is any chance of exploiting the current tension at the Maradona during the January transfer window, then Madrid must take it. Osimhen's bond with the people of Naples remains as strong as ever, but it's clear that his relationship with the city's club has hit an all-time low.

One can be sure, then, that Madrid will be among the many clubs monitoring Osimhen's every move in the coming days, weeks and months - both on the field and, perhaps more importantly, on social media.


Source: Goal

Bannedlargedx2:


Some of you guys logic sef idk. Aribo might not be in form for his club but considering the options available at our disposal, he is still good enough to be invited. You guys love to request for an unknown low quality player to replace an incumbent player. I have always said this that “if you need to try out a player to know if he is good enough for us, he is probably not good enough” when a Quality midfielder come on the scene by default, he will be invited. Boniface has shown the blueprint

Mujtahida:

You missed the opportunity to say Luku and Chuku 😂😂

dymusty86:
Those of you reporting lies here, please go to politics section and continue engaging yourself with lies.

Some f**l here think with their an*s but I can’t blame them since they can believe the former president is one Jibril from Sudan 🇸🇩 they can as well believe anything. Your mind only filter in what you want to know, that is for a narrow minded.

Before you quote me, know that I don’t vote any of them because to me none of the leading candidates deserve the sit.

Bannedlargedx2:


Some of you guys logic sef idk. Aribo might not be in form for his club but considering the options available at our disposal, he is still good enough to be invited. You guys love to request for an unknown low quality player to replace an incumbent player. I have always said this that “if you need to try out a player to know if he is good enough for us, he is probably not good enough” when a Quality midfielder come on the scene by default, he will be invited. Boniface has shown the blueprint

Mujtahida:

This Nwakali phenomenon on this thread is a mystery to me. I've never seen where a player's professional trajectory is downward yet he's the toast of many fans who see him as the elixir to our midfield woes. I'm not sure this has happened for any other player. I wish I have the eyes to see what others see. Because we have exhausted arguments on this issue. Now I just want to see what others see. That's why I want him to be invited.

slimthugchimee2:
Any place to Livestream?

TheGoodJoe:


Definitely not true. Pure bias talk.

TheSuperNerd:
Leo ostigard fires Napoli in front. Bullet header off a rebound.

Napoli leads 1-0.

AndSunGorilla:

I be wan type Chuku-Chuku or Chuk-Chuk but am trying to become responsible, I too like ze oda room mata

Mujtahida:

He does not know his tactical approach at all if 4-4-2 is what he intends to deploy during the Afcon and WCQ.

charlesemeka85:
no vex bro, person jus mk me vex last night. No reason am my guy jumobi 🤣

BascoVanVeli:
Kvara should have passed that

Mujtahida:

Ehen. Well I'm not biased oo. Tell me, is his career trajectory upward? Last season he was in the Spanish 3rd division. This season he's at the Chaves. Abi he's neither up or down?