Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool - which club is best suited to signing wantaway striker Osimhen?

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Despite playing a pivotal role in Napoli winning their first Serie A title 33 years, it seems more and more likely that the Italian giants will look to sell star striker Victor Osimhen at the end of the season. Although the Nigerian striker has enjoyed a good start to the new season, with eight goals and three assists in his first 18 games, the player’s relationship with the club’s hierarchy has seemingly deteriorated to the point that both parties now seem intent on going their separate ways as quickly as possible. 

Does Osimhen want to leave Napoli? 

Although it seems unlikely that Osimhen will depart Napoli in January due to the frugal nature of England's biggest clubs this month, a move at the end of the season does seem more than likely. In an interview just one week before the window draws to a close, the Nigerian striker seemingly made it clear that he had his heart set on a move to the Premier League. “I think 60% of the people mention the rumours about me linked with the Premier League," Osimhen told CBS Sport. "Premier League is one of the biggest leagues in the world. I want to finish the season with Napoli strong then come up with the decision I've already made." As such, it seems as though the striker has his heart set on a move to England. But which clubs want to sign him?  

Who could sign Victor Osimhen?

To no great surprise, Osimhen has been heavily linked with moves to just about every major club in European football. Last year, the striker was seen as a potential Kylian Mbappé alternative for Real Madrid as well as a potential replacement for the French striker for Paris Saint-Germain. However, now that Mbappé seems set for the Spanish capital and the arrival of Randal Kolo Muani in the French capital, those rumours have quickly run cold. Similarly, Manchester United were reportedly considering a move for the striker in the summer before opting for Rasmus Højlund instead. According to more recent reports since the start of the current season, the leading contenders to sign Osimhen are Premier League trio Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. But who would be better suited to signing the Napoli striker? 

What type of striker is Victor Osimhen? 

There’s little doubt that when it comes to scoring goals, there are few in European football that can match or even surpass Osimhen’s ability to stick the ball in the back of the net. Last season the Nigerian talent bagged no less than 26 goals in 32 league games, which worked out at 0.81 goals per game. Only two strikers in Erling Haaland and the aforementioned Mbappé averaged more on a weekly basis than the Napoli striker. Which is perhaps why a number of England’s biggest clubs are desperate to sign him. 

 

However, it’s worth bearing in mind what type of striker Osimhen is. Rather than being a deep-lying forward who can create chances for midfield runners or an inside forward that drifts out wide, Osimhen is a penalty-box striker in the truest sense. According to Opta, 100% of the 26 league goals the striker scored last season came inside the box. When we compare that to the top five goalscorers in Europe last season, it shows that Osimhen’s playing style is considerably different from Harry Kane or Mbappé’s (90% of goals scored in the box), but slightly closer to Haaland (97%) and Alexandre Lacazette (96%). In other words, anyone hoping to sign Osimhen should be looking for a penalty-box striker rather than any other type of forward. 

As such, Liverpool signing Osimhen would make little or no sense at all since they already have a penalty-box striker in Darwin Núñez. However, while Chelsea have signed a number of forwards in recent windows, neither Nicolas Jackson or Christopher Nkunku fit the same profile as Osimhen and could compliment the towering striker rather well. Similarly, Arsenal’s reported desire to sign a proven No.9 in place of Eddie Nketiah would make them an ideal fit for Osimhen.