Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen has drawn comparisons with former Napoli star Edinson Cavani due to his performances for the club.
This came after the Italian club axed French coach Rudi Garcia, replacing him with Walter Mazzarri. Interestingly, this isn't Mazzarri's first rodeo with Napoli; as he was in charge of the club between October 2009 and 2013.
In his previous stint with the club, Mazzarri worked with the attacking trio of Edinson Cavani, Marek Hamsik and Ezekiel Lavezzi. Bearing that in mind, former Napoli sporting director Riccardo Bigon has compared Osimhen with former Partenopei striker Cavani.
It's fair to point out that Cavani spent a few years with Napoli, bagging 78 goals in 104 appearances across all competitions. Osimhen, on the other hand, was the top scorer in the Serie A last season; as he guided the Partenopei to their first title in 22 years.
Osimhen is like Cavani 🤔
Do you agree ❓#PulseSportsNigeria pic.twitter.com/GDReMhg4sC
— Pulse Sports Nigeria (@PulseSportsNG) November 21, 2023
Claudio Anellucci's take on the comparisons
In spite of this, Cavani's former agent Claudio Anellucci doesn't see any similarities between his former client and the Super Eagles star.
While he had nothing but praises for Osimhen in an interview with Radio CRC, Anellucci feels the 24 year old needs to consistently put up good numbers before he can be compared with Cavani. In his words, “Cavani is still superior.”
Osimhen's numbers this season
We would like to point out that Osimhen has scored six times in the Serie A this season. However, he has only played in nine league games so far, with seven starts. The former Wolfsburg and Lille striker's scoring frequency is one goal per 108 minutes, which is slightly worse than his one-goal-per-99-minutes rate from last season.
It'll be interesting to see what his goal tally will look like at the end of the season, should he stay at Napoli. Here, you can find more Osimhen transfer news.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago