Jose Mourinho has drawn comparisons between Napoli’s main man Victor Osimhen and Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, hinting that Premier League clubs including Liverpool and Arsenal might be missing a trick by not pursuing the Nigerian international.
At 25 years old, Osimhen has been lighting up Serie A since his switch from LOSC Lille in 2020, with a tally of 65 domestic goals to his name thus far. His quick, forceful playing technique has caught the eye of several top teams.
With Arsenal on the hunt for a standout striker, with Gabriel Jesus’ influence having been somewhat muted following his move from Manchester City. The addition of a prolific forward could very well have seen them clinch the Premier League title in the past two seasons where they narrowly missed out to City by just two points last term.
At Anfield, meanwhile, Darwin Nunez is yet to fully ignite, though Arne Slot will hand him the chance to impress when he returns from his post-Copa America holiday. Liverpool also has Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo to play through the center.
Drogba, who scored 104 goals and served up 55 assists in the Premier League, is a similar player to Osimhen, Mourinho said last year. “He is of the same level as Drogba, but Didier didn’t dive,” the Portuguese coach explained.
“If Victor changes, then OK, I’d buy him if I was at a club with a lot of money. However, if he does go to England one day, he needs to change, because in Italy they put up with this sort of behavior, whereas in the Premier League, they’d come down hard on him.”
The Nigerian forward, who is under contract at Napoli until 2026, could move on this summer. It was reported that Napoli would allow Osimhen to leave for a fee of $109m (£84m/€100m). PSG has also been strongly linked with a move for him as it seeks to replace Kylian Mbappe.
Should Chelsea’s pursuit of Osimhen fall through this year, manager Enzo Maresca has a plethora of alternatives to consider for Stamford Bridge, with Viktor Gyokeres, Karim Adeyemi and Maximilian Beier all speculated to be on the summer wishlist. Meanwhile, Arsenal could potentially lose another forward, as Eddie Nketiah is keen on a move to Marseille.
A source says: Osimhen is an excellent player but he would not be cheap. His most likely destination appears to be PSG but whoever gets him will be signing a top striker. There are not many of those out there on the market.
Olaitan Ibrahim