In a recent interview (via Football Fancast), journalist Charles Watts offered an update on Arsenal and their pursuit of Napoli centre-forward Victor Osimhen. Watts said,
“It’s no great secret that Arsenal want to sign a striker this summer. When the window opens it will be the priority, along with a midfielder and potentially another wide attacker.
“It will be interesting to see whether they move for Victor Osimhen. He, like Toney, is a player they like and I know that his representatives have visited Arsenal’s training ground for talks with Edu.
“Those talks took place in the summer when Arsenal eventually signed Gabriel Jesus. Jesus was always the priority that year, but Osimhen was definitely a player they viewed as a serious alternative. That interest will remain, but the Nigerian could prove to be too costly an option in a summer given Arsenal want to spread their budget around as they look to take the squad to the next level.”
Osimhen’s Impressive Form In Serie A
Osimhen is having a productive campaign at the Italian club as he has produced a lot of fruitful displays for them up top. The Nigerian centre-forward has banged in 15 goals and grabbed four assists in 27 appearances for Napoli this season across all fronts.
The 25-year-old has been a good contributor in the final third based on his average of 3.5 shots, 0.9 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per game in Serie A. However, he needs to improve his ball distribution in the opponent’s half after making just 70.4% of his attempted passes in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
What Should Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta Do With Regards To Osimhen?
Osimhen is proficient at creating a yard of space for himself to get some strikes in at goal. He has got the eye to play some decisive passes in the final third and is a good dribbler with the ball as well. However, the Nigeria international has to figure out a way to improve his link-up play up top.
Still, there is no denying that Osimhen is good enough to add more firepower to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s frontline. He would be an upgrade over Gabriel Jesus, who has struggled to be consistent for the Gunners this season.
At 25, Osimhen’s peak years are ahead of him which makes him a decent choice for the North London club to consider this summer. All in all, Arteta would be wise to move in for him ahead of the new campaign.
