What next for Victor Osimhen amid row with Napoli?

When the Partenopeans won the league for the first time in more than 30 years the previous season, Victor Osimhen and Napoli enjoyed a remarkable season, as the 24-year-old scored 31 goals in in 39 appearances across all competitions for the club.

He was, however, the subject of an odd video that the club’s own social media account uploaded on Tuesday, 26th of September, 2023.

The video which was posted — but now deleted — by his own team’s official club Tiktok account involved an edited high-pitched voice asking for a penalty with the caption “gimme penalty, please.”

A clip of Osimhen was then displayed, ending with him shooting wide to the chagrin of the fans and enragement of the striker.

Osimhen has since then deleted any references to Napoli from his Instagram profile and is said to be thinking about filing a lawsuit.

The video followed the club’s goalless draw against Bologna in Serie A on Sunday 24th September, 2023 in which Osimhen spurned the opportunity to win the game from the penalty spot.

That proved to be the game’s defining moment and was a rare miss from the Nigerian – who had bagged three goals in his first five matches this season.

Recall that after Victor Osimhen’s impressive performance last season where he broke Samuel Eto’s record of most goals scored by an African in a single Serie A season, George Weah’s most goals scored by an African in the Italian league while also becoming the first African to win the Serie A golden Boot, European giants PSG, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and others showed interest in signing the Nigerian international but instead he opted to to stay with the Italian champions.

He even rejected the €60m (N50 billion) per season salary offer from Saudi club Al-Hilal to pen a new deal worth 10 million euros per year with Napoli till 2028.

Lots of football fans have blamed Osihmen for not taking the Al-Hilal deal or at least moving to another big European club. Ifeanyi Orakwue during his weekdays fanzone on radio Sapiencia said “I’m of the opinion that Osihmen should have left last summer after helping the club win their first Serie A in more than three decades”.

He continued by urging Osihmen to “stay cool and not press any charges against his club as the Napoli’s hierarchy will frustrate him and he might not be playing while the case is in court and this will surely affect his career.

During Napoli’s 4-1 victory over Udinese on Wednesday, the 24-year-old finally scored, but his subdued joy was a clear sign of his deteriorating relationship with the team.

Some fans also believe that Osimhen’s tough relationship with Napoli will probably rekindle interest from teams that tried to sign him in the summer.

Morgan promptly took advantage of the opportunity to remind him about the Gunners. Morgan posted on X, “Don’t take this terrible treatment @victorosimhen9, come to Arsenal instead.”

It is very likely that Osimhen will be pursued by Saudi Arabian clubs in the if he attempts to leave Napoli in January.

Real Madrid are also considering the Super eagles striker as the Spanish powerhouses look to bolster their attack in the wake of Karim Benzema’s departure.

Napoli’s reaction 

Amid the heated backlash, the club released a statement to clarify its stance on the matter.

The statement, released on the official website of the club, reads: “To avoid any potential exploitation of the matter, SSC Napoli would like to explicitly state that the club never intended to offend or make fun of Victor Osimhen, who is an asset to the club.

“Over the course of the summer Napoli rejected all offers to sign the striker – firm proof of the club’s appreciation of him.

“On social media, and TikTok particularly, expressive language is used in a light-hearted and playful manner. In this case involving Victor there was no intention of mockery or derision.

“If Victor was in any way offended, this was not at all in the club’s intentions.”

Many, however, blasted the club for the statement, saying it fell short of an apology to the striker.