How Osimhen’s abysmal injury record scared Arsenal from €120m bid

Carlo Garganese

Updated: 18 Jun 2024 07:06 BST
3 min read

Victor Osimhen, Napoli, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Victor Osimhen was expected to be one of the hottest properties in the 2024 summer transfer window.

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The Nigeria striker is recognised as one of the best number nines in world football, and last year Napoli promised Osimhen that they would sell him at the end of the 2023-24 season.

However, as we now edge closer to the official opening of the European transfer market, there have still been no concrete offers for Osimhen.

PSG are favourites to sign him but have not made a bid yet, while the interest from Arsenal is lukewarm at best. Other than that, only Saudi Arabian clubs still maintain any serious interest right now.

His €120 million asking price - the release clause in his contract - plus an inconsistent season have certainly played an important role in the lack of transfer activity.

But there is another reason why the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Europe’s biggest clubs are scared to sign Osimhen…his injury record.

© IMAGO - Arsenal and Chelsea have gone cold on Osimhen

Osimhen’s injury record

Osimhen has missed 65 games since joining Napoli from Lille in the summer of 2020.

He has incredibly had 15 different injury layoffs in less than four years.

In 2023/24, Osimhen had six different injuries and missed over two months of the season due to physical problems.

When he was fit, he was rarely full match-fit because he was constantly returning from spells on the treatment table.

Even during Napoli’s historic Scudetto-winning season when Osimhen finished top-scorer in Serie A with 26 goals, the Nigerian still missed almost two months of the season with injury.

In 2021-22, amongst the four separate periods he was sidelined, Osimhen missed 54 days with a fractured cheekbone. This led to him wearing a protective mask for a long period afterwards.

Osimhen’s aggressive, explosive and competitive style of play certainly leaves him open to both muscular and contact injuries - as does his rather rubbery frame.

Osimhen hit the headlines again in recent days after an epic six-minute long rant against Nigeria national team coach Finidi George.

George had claimed it was impossible to take disciplinary action against certain players while he claimed that the striker chose not to play in two World Cup qualifying matches he was actually fit for. It was stated that Osimhen picks and chooses which games he is available for.

Osimhen hit back insisting he was injured and saying he would not allow George to “stain my name”.

The aftermath of this controversy was George resigning as manager of Nigeria.

But the bigger picture for Osimhen is that his history of injuries and missing games is a problem for any team who wishes to pay such a huge sum of money for him this summer.