‘It’s a Million-Dollar Question’: Fabio Capello on Replacing Victor Osimhen
Former Real Madrid and England manager, Fabio Capello, is convinced that Nigerian international Victor Osimhen is irreplaceable for Napoli as they face the likelihood of losing the striker next season.
Osimhen, who has been a standout performer for Napoli, is rumored to be on the radar of top European clubs including Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Real Madrid. Despite Napoli placing a €130m price tag on him, interest in the Nigerian remains high, with Manchester United reportedly preparing a €110m bid.
With Osimhen’s potential departure looming, Capello, at 77 years old, expressed the challenge Napoli would face in finding a suitable replacement. “How do you replace Osimhen next year? Million-dollar question, there are no players around to replace Osimhen. You would have to have a crystal ball to find him,” the former England coach remarked in an interview with II Martino, as quoted by Area Napoli.
Throughout the 2023/24 season, Osimhen’s impact has been significant, despite battling injuries and representing Nigeria in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. He managed to contribute to 14 goals (11 goals and three assists) in just 16 appearances in the Italian Serie A.
The 25-year-old’s exceptional form led Napoli to their first Serie A victory in 33 years, with Osimhen scoring a league-high 26 goals in 32 Serie A matches and a total of 31 goals across all competitions. His potential departure would be a significant loss for the Italian champions, who have already seen players like Kim Min-Jae and Hirving Lozano leave for Bayern Munich and PSV, respectively, and could face more departures in the upcoming transfer window.
After finishing as the top scorer in Italy’s top division for the 2022/23 season, Osimhen received recognition as the Italian Footballers’ Association Serie A Player of the Year. Additionally, he played a crucial role in Nigeria’s qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations and was the top scorer in the qualification series with 10 goals. Although he only managed to score one goal in the tournament, his impact was instrumental in Nigeria’s journey to the final, where they narrowly lost 2-1 to the hosts.
In a remarkable turn of events in his career, the Lagos-born striker achieved historic milestones. He became the first Nigerian footballer to finish in the Top 10 of the Ballon d’Or, securing an eighth-place finish. Furthermore, Osimhen was crowned African Footballer of The Year, making him the first Nigerian since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999 to receive the prestigious award, beating out contenders like Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah at the CAF awards ceremony in Marrakech last December.
With his exceptional talent and achievements, Osimhen’s potential departure from Napoli would undoubtedly leave a void that seems challenging to fill, as highlighted by Capello’s remarks. The striker’s contributions both at the club and international level have firmly established him as one of Africa’s brightest talents in football.
