Victor Osimhen and the Saudi Move
Someone asked what my advice would be to Victor Osimhen if he were my brother considering the proposed Saudi Arabia £1m per week move.
As we all know, football is a realm of uncertainties. There is no guarantee that Osimhen won’t struggle at his next club, leading to a downward spiral. I must admit that I have watched him closely, and if he weren’t Nigerian, I wouldn’t rate him as highly. He can be a bit clumsy on the ball and needs to improve from a technical standpoint.
Moreover, he is quite injury-prone and vulnerable. In his first season, he dislocated his shoulder and ranked 17th on the team for minutes played in all competitions. In the following season, he came in 10th in this regard and had to wear a mask after sustaining a fractured eye socket and cheekbone. This past season, Osimhen missed nearly half of Napoli’s Champions League games, including the crucial first leg of the quarter-final defeat away to AC Milan, which some believe cost Napoli a place in the tournament’s final. A bigger club may not have the patience to wait for his recoveries before moving on.
And can he replicate the feat of last season with another club? He was undoubtedly a prolific striker last season, topping Serie A’s goal-scoring chart despite missing many games. Notably, he is not his team’s designated penalty taker, unlike Haaland, whose goal tally was bolstered by successful penalties. Osimhen’s achievements are even more impressive when we consider this fact and the accolades given to Ronaldo.
However, can he replicate this under a coach different from Luciano Spalletti? Spalletti has a track record of working with players similar to Osimhen. Francesco Totti, Edin Dzeko, and Mauro Icardi were all Osimhen-like players who not only scored goals in abundance under him but also emerged as top scorers in the Italian league. Coincidence? I think not.
Furthermore, let’s not overlook the fact that Osimhen wasn’t the one awarded the Most Valuable Player last season; that title belongs to his teammate, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Osimhen has spent three seasons in Italy, and it wasn’t until the Georgian talisman joined last season that Osimhen scored more than 15 goals in a season. Not to downplay Osimhen’s abilities, but Kvaratskhelia’s goal-creating actions are directly responsible for many of Osimhen’s goals. The question is, will he have a Kvaratskhelia in his next European club?
At this point, you might think I have developed a negative stance towards Osimhen, but that’s not entirely true. He possesses some remarkable attributes. Despite being the league’s tallest striker, he still manages to be its fastest. He utilizes this skillset to reach any ball played to him, making him a delight for midfielders. Whether the pass is skillfully placed or roughly hoofed, Osimhen will get to it and score a bucketload of goals.
However, we must consider the track record of Serie A players replicating their form elsewhere. Immobile could not replicate his form at Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla. Icardi was a miss at Paris Saint-Germain, so much so he had to be sent to Turkey. As soon as Vlahović, who was rated in the same breath as Haaland, left Florentina, he became unrecognizable. We all know how Lukaku lost his way after tearing Giorgia Meloni’s country apart and headed to Chelsea.
So, the money vs fame debate is not as straightforward as many try to paint it.
And what’s to be ashamed of in playing in the Saudi league? Odion Ighalo was in that league when he was the first-choice striker for the Nigerian national team. The league has in it two ballon d’or winners. Cristiano Ronaldo, one of them, trails only one player — Lionel Messi — as the greatest player in the last 30 years. Marcelo Brozovic has gone there. N’Golo Kanté has gone. Riyad Mahrez is there. Roberto Firmino and Edouard Mendy have found their way there. So many top players are ditching Europe for the money-rich desert. The league may not be as uncompetitive as many think. Players make the league. And he will be in some company.
Moreover, as Osimhen’s brother, I know that he is a Nigerian ‘24-year-old’ footballer. If you don’t understand what I mean, don’t bother. Many will claim they know him and went to school with him, and to that I will say, I hear you. For those who understand, it means that he doesn’t have much headroom for improvement at the top level. Currently, he earns around £90k per week with Italian taxes suckling a substantial 43% of it. In Saudi Arabia, he will earn £1m a week and pay zero taxes.
Football is a short-span career. In a maximum of 10 years, we will have kids who never knew he was once a footballer. How many of you truly understand how influential Obafemi ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’ Martins was during his playing days? Those who were part of our football caucus in secondary school will remember how in awe I was of Obagoal at Inter Milan/Super Eagles. But right now, no Gen Z football fan understands what the hype was all about.
And that’s to be expected. As the French say, c’est la vie.
As my bro, ‘Victor, take the money’. Let’s reassess after one year and see how it goes.
