3 reasons why Osimhen MUST continue at Napoli next season

Osimhen is better served staying at Napoli next season. Pulse Sports outlines reasons why.

A sad feature of modern football is the inability of modest–medium-sized clubs to keep their prodigiously talented heroes. The seismic difference in economic capabilities, the convergence of other top talents to a few uber-elite clubs, and the volatility of goodwill in today's game have made it more than a desire borne out of childhood reverence to play for the best clubs, but a necessity.

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So much so that it is not enough to punch above one’s weight—a feat more arduous in today's game—an unwillingness to leave one's homestead (a smaller club), no matter how accomplished at said establishment, for a bustling metropolis (the giant clubs) attracts the unambitious tag, as seen in Harry Kane's case. 

Despite leading Napoli—a club with a degree of repute, mind you—to a historic championship in one of the biggest divisions in European football history (Serie A) and earning himself god-like status in the third-largest city in Italy, Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen is itching for a move away. 

Growing up in Olusosun, in the Kosofe area of Lagos, the former Lille man held Premier League ambitions. However, it is the current climate of football that has compelled this desire to leave. 

Putting it simply, to truly earn the plaudits that come with being one of the best strikers in the world, which Osimhen is, today's game demands winning the biggest trophies (Champions League), or at least competing at a high level in them each season. Ironically, it is increasingly difficult to achieve this in football, as it is today, without being on the books of a major club. 

The truth is, Napoli are not at that level, nor are they growing at a pace to match the Nigerian's current profile and ambitions. Nor do they show a willingness to do so given their self-inflicted cataclysmic title defence and underwhelming transfer dealings. 

So, Osimhen has to leave Napoli. However, he is better served biding his time and staying put for at least one more season. Here are three reasons why. 

No ideal suitor 

In the summer of 2023, when Osimhen signed the new contract, which handed him a deserved salary bump, he also got a release clause entered into the deal, which appeared a sound idea at the time. 

Off the back of a league-winning campaign, a Cappocannoniere, a lofty eighth place on the Ballon d'Or rankings and a CAF Men's Player of the Year award, the €130 million release clause fee was reasonable—especially in a highly inflated market—and suitors were lying in waiting. 

However, a lot can happen in a year, and many did. Osimhen's season was ravaged by injuries, and he could only start 22 games in Serie A for the Partenopei. 

He scored 15 league goals, a respectable tally when his minutes of action are tallied in, showing his quality has not waned; however, the unreliability of his fitness, which has become a theme of his career, is a blaring warning sign for prospective suitors. 

For a fee of half the €130 million release clause, clubs might be willing to take a chance, but for such a significant outlay, certain guarantees are required. 

His sparse availability not only raised red flags on his fitness issues but also meant he could not match the world-class numbers of the previous campaign, which helped convince suitors he was worth the financial effort. Clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, who all previously registered interest, have cooled their pursuits, leaving Osimhen with the Saudi option. 

There's a long-standing interest in the Nigerian from the Gulf, and according to reports, there is a sizable offer on the table in terms of wages and a willingness to pay Napoli's ask. A move to the Saudi Pro League only fulfils one of his desires, a huge payday. The thirst for the biggest trophies in club football and the acclaim that comes with it will remain unsatiated. 

The Antonio Conte factor 

Napoli's disastrous title defence in Serie A last season, which ranks as the second-worst in league history, was largely due to the instability and lack of quality in their coaching staff, stemming from their inability to attract a top-tier manager

The Partenopei burned through three managers last season after Luciano Spaletti refused to continue, two of whom were past their best (Rudi Garcia and Walter Mazzarri) and a third, Francesco Calzona, who juggled the Napoli job with being the head coach of the Slovakian national team. 

For next season, however, Aurelio de Laurentiis has managed to convince Antonio Conte, one of the best managers around, and in the history of Italian football, to take the job. 

Conte is famous for revolutionising teams. He started Juventus on a path towards winning nine consecutive Scudetti. He led a Chelsea team that finished 10th in the previous campaign to the Premier League title in spectacular fashion in the 2016–17 season.

He also won the Scudetto for Inter in the 2020/21 season, their first in 11 years, and the aftershock of the squad he built and players he developed are still causing tremours, with Nerazzurri winning the Serie A title last season and earning the tag of favourites for a repeat next season. 

Conte is a serial winner with a proven track record of hitting the ground running immediately. Osimhen can stand to gain from this. Another great season with Napoli further endears him with the fanbase and could reposition him as a must-have for his desired clubs. 

Former Napoli striker Cristian Bucchi, said as much in a recent interview, “I hope that either he [Victor Osimhen] stays at Napoli, where he could grow with Conte. Or that some European club can make an important offer. I would tell him to stay at Napoli.” 

“Conte and the club want to keep them. So I know the situation will be resolved. The guarantee is Conte. He knows that these players will be functional to his idea of ​​his game. He has already demonstrated it many times, even in the national team.”

A chance to renegotiate 

Staying at Napoli for one more season allows Osimhen to renegotiate the terms of his contract, particularly the high-handed release clause. 

The striker market is scant, and given Napoli's stature and finances, it is unlikely they can attract a replacement on the level of Osimhen, even if they get the windfall from his sale this summer. 

This is to say Napoli themselves are better served keeping Osimhen for at least one more season, as with him they can maximise the impact of Antonio Conte. 

However, Napoli would want him to pen an extension for one more year, at least, to protect their standing, as he would have one season left on his deal at the end of the next campaign. 

The Nigerian will have nothing to lose if he agrees to this extension, as he can also negotiate for a significantly lower release clause. 

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