…Bizarrely, the Nigeria international doesn’t seem to be an option for England’s big hitters – but signing him would be seismic for either club
Victor Osimhen’s name has, for the most part, been conspicuously absent from transfer rumours involving Arsenal and Manchester United, as the two English giants focus their respective striker searches elsewhere. But is that a decision they will live to regret?
Granted, after last year’s debacle, the latest transfer saga unfolding around Osimhen might well be off-putting for Europe’s elite – but for two teams in dire need of more firepower, pursuing the Nigerian hitman feels like a no-brainer as they look to achieve their wildly contrasting objectives next season.
It may only be a matter of time before he is all over the back pages with his release clause expiring in a matter of days, but Arsenal and United should already be doing everything they can to land a player who guarantees goals.
Premier League ‘dream’
Osimhen has demonstrated plenty of times that he isn’t afraid of ruffling a few feathers to get his way, and that trend seems set to continue. The latest reports suggest the striker will reject a permanent stay at Galatasaray, with his heart set on fulfilling his ‘dream’ of playing in the Premier League.
The coveted frontman had already dramatically snubbed Al-Hilal’s riches when it seemed as though he was heading for a lucrative move to the Middle East, and now he has turned down his loan club despite a productive relationship, a significant wage offer and the Lions’ willingness to trigger his €75 million (£65m/$84m) release clause for overseas clubs.
While Gazzetta dello Sport claims there is ‘no alignment between his desires and reality’, Osimhen’s long-term goal has always been to play in England’s top-flight. “I’m working so hard to make sure that I achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League some day,” he said in 2023. “But like I said, it’s a process and I just want to keep on this momentum and continue to do well.”
Obvious choice
The revelation that Osimhen is determined to finally make that dream a reality this summer should have two Premier League giants who are desperately in need of more firepower on red alert. However, both Arsenal and Manchester United’s attentions are fixed elsewhere for the time being. Arsenal have been focused on RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and have featured prominently in the transfer saga unfolding around Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, with United supposedly interested in the latter, too, amid talk of a convenient reunion with Ruben Amorim.
Neither deal has proven to be straightforward, though, with their respective ~£70m ($96m) valuations and high wage demands supposedly causing negotiations to grind to a halt. It has even been reported that Arsenal are ready to look elsewhere, potentially bringing Osimhen into play.
In reality, the Nigerian is the most logical option. Sure, his salary would be substantial, but he would be neither club’s top earner and the initial fee promises to be lower than £70m. Osimhen is also a proven goal-scorer in Europe’s most elite leagues; there are not the question marks over how he would transition to the Premier League that exist for both Gyokeres and Sesko, with plenty of other imports from Portugal and the Bundesliga flattering to deceive.
Significant stumbling block
But times are a-changing, and while top Premier League clubs could previously hand out huge pay packets at will, there is the need for more pragmatism in the era of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and financial fair play (FFP). While Osimhen’s massive £200,000-per-week wage demands are not technically out of reach, England’s leading sides must now think much more carefully about signing new players to such significant contracts, especially with the very real threat of punishment in the form of points deductions.
The Nigerian has shown in the past that he is unwilling to budge on those demands, which probably explains why he doesn’t top Arsenal and United’s shopping lists, with Gyokeres and Sesko likely to command significantly less. Chelsea had long been linked with Osimhen, too, but new arrivals Liam Delap and Joao Pedro will be far cheaper in the long-term and, even at just 26, he doesn’t fit within the Blues’ transfer policy of going after high-potential, good value young players.
Title trump card
For Arsenal, turning to Osimhen feels like a no-brainer and is definitely worth the expense – especially for a club that is essentially pushing for short-term gain having fallen agonisingly short in both the Premier League and Champions League in recent seasons. He would bring the goals that can ultimately be the difference in a title race, as he showed by rattling in 26 Serie A strikes for eventual champions Napoli in 2022-23, and the same number in the Turkish Super Lig last season.
The Gunners drew more games than any other top-six finisher last season by some distance (14, with nine the second-highest figure), but lost as few as champions Liverpool (four). It’s easy to see, then, where a prolific goal-scorer would make the difference; in those marginal situations where you are being held by the likes of Crystal Palace, Brentford or Everton, a striker like Osimhen will get you over the line.
New hope for United
United’s aspirations are significantly different, as the fallen giants look to claw their way back from their worst-ever Premier League season after a damning 15th-placed finish. In desperate need of a win, and indeed a statement, stealing a march on Osimhen makes complete sense.
There is plenty of scope for space to be made in the squad, with a number of overpaid, underperforming so-called stars already having been moved on at the end of their contracts. Osimhen is undoubtedly an upgrade on current centre-forward options Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, who have struggled badly, and one of them could justifiably be sold off to create room in the striking department and on the wage bill.
Convincing the 26-year-old to make the move is another matter entirely, however. The failure to qualify for any form of European football puts United at a huge disadvantage, and it means it’s not exactly a problem they can throw money at.
Instead, they will have to push the romance of the ‘Theatre of Dreams’, giving Osimhen the chance to fulfil his career-long ambition at arguably England’s biggest club and potentially become their saviour. Indeed, it has been rumoured that Old Trafford is his preferred destination.
Waiting game
But despite Arsenal and United’s obvious need, for now there is silence when it comes to Osimhen. Are the English giants playing a waiting game? As doubts grow around the feasibility of respective moves for Sesko and Gyokeres, that could well be the case.
That’s because the Napoli wantaway’s €75m release clause for foreign clubs expires in just nine days’ time, on July 15. While the Partonopei will still be desperate to bring in a significant fee, after that date they are likely to accept even less from a non-Serie A club for their former talisman.
If either club has any sense at all, that should be when we see old rivals Arsenal and United come back into the equation in a big way, as the Premier League giants look to make a cut-price signing that could define both their short and long-term futures.
Goal
