Victor Osimhen to Arsenal: How Napoli star will fix Arteta's attack

Karan Tejwani

• 13 Jun 2022 09:14 BST
• 4 min read

Arsenal are in the market for a forward this summer that can lead their line for the foreseeable future, and have identified Napoli’s Victor Osimhen as a potential option.

It was reported in Italy that Arsenal made a €60 million bid for the Nigerian, but that was rejected by Napoli, who are demanding a fee of €100 million for the 23-year-old if anyone wants him this summer.

Arsenal are in need of new striking options following the departure of Alexandre Lacazette this summer, and having lost Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang earlier in the year, they only have one senior forward in Eddie Nketiah.

The Gunners will face plenty of competition if they are to complete a deal for the player: Manchester United and Newcastle have also expressed an interest in Osimhen, and it’s unclear where his future lies at the minute.

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How would Osimhen improve Arsenal?

Signing up Osimhen would definitely be an upgrade on Arsenal’s striking options and provide that long-term stability that they have been seeking in their squad.

Since Mikel Arteta’s arrival, Arsenal have focused on building a younger squad and working with a core group of players that will be around for years to come, as evident by their recent transfer activity and promotions.

Players like Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe have become first-team mainstays, while others like Aaron Ramsdale and Takehiro Tomiyasu were signed to complement them; Osimhen would fit that mould.

In addition to that, there is an obvious upgrade in quality that Osimhen would bring to this squad that is needed to take them to the next level as a team.

Osimhen possesses great attributes as a forward: he’s a danger in and around the box, having the skill to hold-up play and link well with his team-mates, as evident from his time at Napoli.

He’s also a smart runner – making the right moves to beat an opposition defence, using his speed to get clear and create opportunities for himself in front of goal.

In addition, he’s a forward that likes playing deeper and getting involved with the build-up, often dropping into midfield to link-up with the rest of his team, and playing well with his back to goal.

That would work well in a team that relies on their forwards doing the same – he possesses the necessary skills to succeed in the role, in addition to having a decent goalscoring record.

Over the last two seasons, Osimhen has scored 28 goals for Napoli in 62 appearances, despite injury issues sometimes holding him back over this period.

His threat in the box and in the air is clear: this season, he scored the most headed goals – seven – than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues, which is a useful element for any team.

Areas where Osimhen can improve in the coming years is his quality of distribution, as he tends to be quite wasteful with his passes, needlessly giving the ball away at times.

Additionally, and this is something that can improve with age and coaching, his finishing is still lacking, and he tends to be wasteful of chances.

Still, though, in terms of potential, this would be a smart signing from Arteta and Arsenal and one that suits the direction they are taking.

Arsenal narrowly missed out on Champions League football last season, and signing a player of Osimhen’s quality and skillset would certainly help steer them on the right path in the coming years.

He won’t come in cheap – Napoli are known for being tough negotiators and getting what they want, but it would be a shrewd long-term investment to go for the Nigerian forward.