Chelsea urged to steer clear of Osimhen 'gamble'

Tom Weber

• Updated: 13 Dec 2023 10:48 GMT
• 3 min read

Paul Merson believes that signing Victor Osimhen would be a "gamble" by Chelsea.

The Blues are in the market for a striker in January. Though they will likely have to sell in order to be able to buy, which has seen Conor Gallagher linked with a shock exit again, Chelsea will attempt to make a big splash in the transfer market.

Mauricio Pochettino and his recruitment team have reportedly drawn up a five-man shortlist of forwards that includes youngsters Antonio Nusa and Roony Bardghji as well as big-name heavyweights Ivan Toney, Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres, all three of which are also on Arsenal's radar.

Osimhen has been most persistently linked with a switch to Stamford Bridge after already being targeted in the summer and FootballTransfers revealed that the Blues are ready to go all out to sign him. Napoli's poor form and his off-field issues with the club's social media team have given rise to fresh rumours that he could be on the move in 2024.

His contract is due to expire in 2025 and, despite the club president's assertions, an agreement on fresh terms hasn't been reached, according to Fabrizio Romano. As things stand, then, Napoli will have to cash in on the Nigerian sharpshooter next year.

Chelsea should target Toney

Former Premier League player Paul Merson, however, believes that Chelsea should focus all their energy on signing Brentford's Ivan Toney instead, calling the potential arrival of Osimhen a "gamble."

“Chelsea have to get a centre-forward in January," he said on Sky Sports. "How many teams do anything without a centre forward? There is Victor Osimhen at Napoli. However, I feel that is a gamble because he would be coming into the hardest league in the world."

“How many times have we seen someone rip it up in another country only to struggle in the Premier League? We’ve seen it too many times.”

“I think Ivan Toney could be in demand. It might just be worth the risk. I feel Arsenal and Chelsea might need Toney if they are to do anything this season. The hardest job in football is to score goals. There just aren’t many top-quality centre forwards around.”