Finally: Victor Osimhen to Arsenal deal set to be completed as player sent Arsenal transfer message that will make Him join after the Afcon
Arsenal transfer target Victor Osimhen was back on the scoresheet for Nigeria on Sunday in their African Cup of Nations draw with Equatorial Guinea but his performance did come with some warning.
The 25-year-old led the line for the Super Eagles in the group opener in the Ivory Coast as Jose Peseiro’s men kickstarted their hopeful journey of becoming champions of Africa. Despite favourites to progress out of Group A alongside the hosts, Ivory Coast, Nigeria were held to a 1-1 draw against the 88th-ranked nation in the world.
Iban Salvador’s 36th-minute opener was quickly cancelled out by Osimhen, who showed great centre-forward instinct to head Ademola Lookman’s cross. However, despite their dominance, Nigeria were wasteful and couldn’t find a winner.
Osimhen spurned a number of huge opportunities in the second-half, including a golden chance shortly after the break. In fact, FOTMOB have the striker’s shot accuracy at only 33 per cent from six chances – meaning he managed to get only two of his attempts on goal on target.
With just 15 minutes to play, the Napoli striker was presented with another big chance to win the game at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium. He dragged a right-footed shot wide of the post, an attempt we’ve seen him often place into the bottom corner in the last months.
Osimhen, who has a £112million release clause in his current contract at Napoli, is normally a real threat in front of goal. Over the course of the past two seasons – 2022/23 and 2023/24 – the 25-year-old has scored a world-class 39 goals in all competitions, including 31 in 39 last term.
He fits the profile perfectly for Arsenal’s need at centre-forward. Mikel Arteta’s men have lacked a prolific goalscorer for some time and a dominant striker has reportedly been prioritised for the January transfer window.
Ivan Toney’s arrival is more likely to occur this month, with Osimhen’s signature more prominent for the summer. The Gunners will be keeping a close eye on Osimhen’s performances at AFCON, with him expected to come up against a number of low blocks like Equatorial Guinea.
