Italian football journalist, Carlo Garganese has declared that the English club, Chelsea FC may back out of signing Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen due to his recent form.
Garganese, who made the comments in a post on his official X handle (formerly Twitter), stated that Victor Osimhen’s recent form may have raised doubts within Chelsea’s hierarchy regarding a potential summer move for the player.
“At the start of the season and entering into 2024, Osimhen was undoubtedly regarded as one of the best strikers in world football,” remarked football journalist Carlo Garganese. “He scored 31 goals in 39 games in all competitions last season as Napoli won their first Scudetto in 33 years,” he added.
However, as the season has progressed, Osimhen’s form has deteriorated drastically, especially after returning from the 2023 African Cup of Nations hosted in Ivory Coast.
Garganese remarked, “This term, the Nigerian’s performance has notably dipped. In 2024, he has only scored in four out of 14 games and tallied just one assist. His overall level of play has been remarkably disappointing.”
READ ALSO: PSG leading Chelsea, Arsenal in race to sign Victor Osimhen —-Report
Osimhen only won one of his ten duels in Napoli’s Champions League defeat to Barcelona, demonstrating his difficulties. As Garganese noted, “He also misplaced possession eleven times without regaining it. In the opening 20 minutes, he was also caught offside four times and outplayed by Pau Cubarsi, a 17-year-old from Barcelona.”
Further doubts regarding his form have been raised by his recent performance against Atalanta, where Isak Hien successfully neutralized him in a 3-0 home loss.
“There are rumours that Osimhen’s impending departure from Napoli has caused a loss of motivation,” Garganese opined.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly may have decided not to pursue Osimhen because of these concerns, especially considering the significant financial commitment involved.
According to him, “Chelsea has spent over €1 billion since Boehly took over, and he is currently under pressure to exercise financial prudence, especially because of Financial Fair Play regulations.”
