Atlético de Madrid manager Diego Simeone has chipped in on what Napoli should do with the AFCON qualifiers 2023 top scorer, Nigeria Super Eagles ace Victor Osimhen.
The 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup winner has grown in leaps and bounds in professional football since making his professional debut in 2017.
It took him two-and-a-half seasons to prove doubters wrong but the rest has been spent breaking the ceiling set for him by all who have followed his career in the Nigerian football news scene and on the international scene.
Simeone now believes he is worthy of a €100 million transfer.
Simeone celebrates with Napoli; talks about Osimhen's unique case
Diego Simeone was at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium in Naples, Italy, to celebrate with the Partenopei over their historic triumph in the Italian Serie A.
He was approached by the Italian media to give his comments on the Serie A champions' season as a manager working in another league. He spoke well of how the club have managed their finances, praised Luciano Spaletti's tactics, and then talked about how their transfer business has played a key role in their success.
🇮🇹🤝 Diego Simeone is at Napoli-Fiorentina today. Here he is with club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis & manager Luciano Spalletti. pic.twitter.com/bTZJPUJdwX
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) May 7, 2023
He specifically reserved praise for Victor Osimhen, whose efforts helped Napoli win their third ever Scudetto and their first in 33 years. Then he pooled from his experience in dealing with players who had attained superstardom and how they could be a bother for clubs without the financial power of others.
The Nigeria national football team ace, who is being touted as the potential AFCON 2023 golden boot winner, is one the transfer list of some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League and across Europe.
Simeone believes that the club, led by Aurelio De Laurentiis, would be better off listening to offers for him when they come after it emerged that the club president had gone back on his decision to accept bids of €120 million or more.
Big clubs can make you spend more to keep a player, says Simeone
“The Nigerian is incredibly strong,” Simeone said to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Tutto Napoli). “There are few players with his characteristics out there, and I believe he could be worth over a hundred million. I’m not saying that he should be sold, but I’m just repeating the kind of reasoning I make for my Atlético.
🎙️| Diego Simeone: “Would I sell Osimhen? He is very strong. I think he could be worth more than €100m. I'm not saying that I would sell him, but I repeat the reasoning I have for my Atlético. If a financially powerful club comes to you and offers you double the salary, to keep…
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) May 8, 2023
“If a financially powerful club comes along and offers double the salary, you have to bleed yourself dry and mess up your accounts just to keep a player. It’s better to make a change. And who is better (at that) than Napoli?
“They let go of important players, and look at what players like Kvaratskhelia and Kim have achieved.”
Osimhen is currently on track to star for the Super Eagles in the AFCON 2023 qualifiers fixtures in June. He could get some competition from Taiwo Awoniyi, who recently scored a brace for Nottingham Forest in their Premier League relegation scrap.
In the meantime, fans can stay up to date with the latest news on both players here on Goalball Live.
This article was most recently revised and updated 2 years ago
