In an era of state-owned superclubs, Napoli’s remarkable start to the Serie A and Champions League season is a reminder of what can still be achieved with intelligent recruitment and superb squad-management.
Stanislav Lobotka, Kim-Min Jae, Giacomo Raspadori, Giovanni Simeone, Andre-Franck Zambo-Anguissa, Leo Ostigaard and the exhilarating Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, for instance, all cost the Partenopei than £25 million.
And while Victor Osimhen hardly came cheap at a club-record £54 million, that is merely a fraction of the Nigerian’s market value these days, following two-and-a-half years of steady self-improvement at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
COULD VICTOR OSIMHEN REALLY REPLACE HARRY KANE AT TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR?
“He has everything; technique, strength, a great leap, speed and power. He’s a player who’s still young. He has room for improvement,” former Italy international Beppe Signori tells TMW. “I say (he plays like) Didier Drogba. They are very similar; physically and technically.”
Didier Drogba is a name that,, even after so many years, still strikes fear into the heart of Arsenal supporters. His goal-scoring record against the Gunners, after all, was the stuff of legend. And Osimhen, scorer of nine goals in 12 games in all competitions this season, is perhaps the closest thing European football has seen to Drogba since his Stamford Bridge heyday.
“Osimhen was followed by Arsenal,” Italian reporter Paolo Bargiggia tells 1 Sport Radio; explaining how the former Lille talisman ended up in Naples rather than North London.
“He was very close to the Gunners. But (Napoli director) Cristiano Giuntoli spoke with Aurelio De Laurentiis and the president broke the delay. So Napoli decided (to bid for Osimhen then and there), and managed to buy him.”
‘VERY CLOSE TO THE GUNNERS’
You could probably count on one hand the strikers capable of adequately replacing Harry Kane at Tottenham Hotspur. Presuming, of course, that the day will come when Spurs’ academy graduate walks away from his boyhood club. Bayern Munich are long-time admirers; director Hasan Salihamidzic labelling Kane a world-class talent this week.
Osimhen, however, is perhaps part of a very elite group. Per Rudy Galeti, Antonio Conte has identified the spring-heeled 23-year-old as the ideal successor for Kane should he be lured away by the prospect of almost-guaranteed silverware at Bayern. Osimhen is valued at £87 million. Though a bank-busting deal could potentially be financed by Kane’s sale.
Now, the thought of Drogba plundering goal after goal against Arsenal is one that still keeps Gunners supporters up at night. The thought of Osimhen doing the same in the colours of Tottenham Hotspur – having slipped through Arsenal’s fingers a couple of years ago – has the potential to be even more painful.
“He can become (world class),” ex-Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr says to BILD. “Victor still needs to improve a few things. Like (for example), working on his body language. If something doesn’t work, he shows it too much on the pitch.
“But these are small things. He can handle them.”
