Victor Osimhen, had his transfer to Chelsea fall through this summer, and former star John Obi Mikel has explained why.
What transpired?
West London's Premier League giants rushed to sign Osimhen as he limped out of Napoli, his Serie A club. The 25-year-old decided to accept a season-long loan with Turkish club Galatasaray instead of a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League, where he watched Al-Ahli get an offer of €80 million (£68 million/$88 million).
MICKELS COMMENT
Mikel, a former Chelsea midfielder, explained on The Obi One Podcast why Osimhen did not wind up in England, even though a January transfer is still possible: It was simply a few minor concerns with paperwork, medical, and a few others that we couldn't resolve because time was of the essence, but I am aware of Victor's desires and the club's offers to him, as well as our final agreement. I applaud Chelsea for their efforts in finalising the deal; it's clear they have big plans for the future of the club, and I can clearly feel Victor's enthusiasm for joining Chelsea.
He felt let down that it didn't materialise. I called him up when the transfer window closed and we talked for twenty minutes. During that time, I told him, "Listen, I'm always here for you. You need to keep your head down, you need to keep working hard, keep training. I know it's not the best situation right now, but I know you're tough." Something we're lacking as a club is a striker with the kind of edge and bite that can terrify defenders; Victor certainly possesses that. He's a powerful character, similar to Didier Drogba and Diego Costa.
THE OVERALL VIEW
Regarding reviving interest, Mikel said in the next window: "Certainly, there are no problems. In my opinion, if we need to resume this at some point—whether it's in January or next summer—we'll be able to do it because we know where we stand and what we've accomplished; all that remains are a few minor things to iron out. I think it's safe to say that both the club and Victor are very delighted with the arrangement. Victor is one of the top strikers in the world right now and Africa's best player. I know what he can bring to the club, and I'm sure many Chelsea fans are aware of that, so I'm not going to rest until I get him to the club. It's not that he's my friend or my younger brother or that he's Nigerian; it's that he is.
People don't know the details of what happened, so Victor has gotten a lot of criticism for this. Before you critique the child, you should know that. We did reach an agreement in terms of compensation and what Victor wants; it was just a few tiny elements here and there that we couldn't get over the line, but Victor really, really wanted to come to the club. He had to concede a lot to come to the middle. Many people are speaking poorly of Victor, and I find it ridiculous that they keep bringing up the fact that he is greedy. No, I believe that the time has come for everyone to rally around him, particularly Nigerians, his friends and family, and his admirers. Chelsea still wants Victor, and Victor still wants to come to Chelsea. We know precisely where we stand if we have to pick it back up again in January if there is interest. There's no need to worry about the difficulty; we will just complete the agreement.
Now what?
Rumour has it that ten top European teams could trigger Osimhen's release clause in his Galatasaray contract during the January transfer window. Some clubs, like Chelsea, are always looking to add a proven number nine to their roster.
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