Victor Osimhen is one of the most coveted strikers ahead of the summer transfer window, and Chelsea look set to try their luck on signing the Napoli star
Jose Mourinho has told Victor Osimhen what he must do in order to wrap up a move to the Premier League. The 24-year-old faces an increasingly uncertain future at Napoli with a handful of top European clubs reportedly chasing his signature – one of which is Chelsea.
football.london understands that signing a striker is at the top of the Blues’ agenda this summer. Chelsea have struggled to replace Didier Drogba over the years, with only Diego Costa and Olivier Giroud coming close to emulating the Ivorian’s target-man role.
The west Londoners have experimented with Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Pierre-Emerick Aubamyeang, but none of those have enjoyed nearly as much success. With the west Londoners in desperate need of a talisman, it’s believed that Osimhen is one of the several names being considered.
If the Napoli striker is to challenge himself in England’s top-flight then he must listen to advice from Mourinho. As quoted by Goal, the Roma boss said: “He is of the same level as Drogba, but Didier didn’t dive. If Victor changes, then OK.
“I’d buy him if I was at a club with a lot of money. However, if he does go to England one day, he needs to change, because in Italy they put up with this sort of behaviour, whereas in the Premier League, they’d come down hard on him.”
Mourinho continued by revealing what he told Osimhen when they crossed paths in Naples. He said: “I told him that he scored a wonderful goal and needs to stop diving so much. His goal was fantastic, he did the same thing when we met earlier this season, so he’s a fantastic player. But he mustn’t dive.”
While Glen Johnson agrees that Osimhen is an ‘exciting talent’, the former Chelsea defender claimed that the Nigerian has not yet done enough to earn comparisons to Drogba. In an interview with Lord Ping, he said: “Victor Osimhen is currently scoring at an alarming rate – he is currently shy of a goal per game, which is something you cannot ignore.
“It’s hard to compare him to Drogba, Drogba was a beast for Chelsea! He was fast, strong and had good technical ability in the Premier League. Osimhen is an exciting talent who knows where the goal is. If he can adapt, he will thrive in the Premier League.”
Source: football.london
