Osimhen does have the attributes to go on to be a great striker like Omeruo said but that will not happen at Napoli if his team mates continue to starve him of tailored service.
‘I like Osimhen a lot,' said Centre Back Omeruo recently. 'I like his energy and I think he’ll go very far,’ he stressed.
However, any great striker is only as good as the service he receives from those around him so, as the service is poor, Osimhen’s output would likewise be under the weather.
I have watched quite a number of Napoli games this season and I have to be honest, Osimhen seems isolated a lot.
He seems to be feeding off crumbs most of the time. The question to the Napoli hierarchy is: is that what they paid €70 million for?
It really baffles me how they can pay that much for a striker and not make him the focal point of their attack. Genk didn’t pay that much for Onuachu but they are reaping the rewards of their investment by making Onuachu the centrepiece of their strike force.
Thus far this season, Napoli have recorded 45 goals in all league games. When Osimhen was available, they scored 17 goals with the Nigerian contributing a meagre 11% (just 2 goals).
And it is not for the want of trying.
Osimhen works his socks off, toiling and trawling through defences trying to find his way only to be compromised by inadequate and inappropriate service from his midfielders and wingers.
He now runs the very risk of being seen as a monumental flop by the global football community as expectations were rocket high following his big money move from Lille.
Personally, I had expected him to stay behind in Lille to acuminate his striker skills further at least for 1 more season before testing the waters elsewhere.
But we are where we are and coach Gattuso has to address this situation and fast. I know people would say because I am Nigerian that I am trying to peddle some baseless conspiracy theory but I reject that comment.
See the case of Onuachu: the 28 year old centre forward is shining like a million stars in Belgium because the team plays to his strengths by feedng him the right balls at the right time for him to wreck havoc.
All you have to do is watch Napoli play and you will see the wingers and midfielders shooting for goal (many times from impossible angles) rather than pick out Osimhen. Napoli are scoring goals but they are doing it without their record signing which begs the question: are the players trying to prove that they can score goals without Osimhen?
I know - this is an outrageous question but one that (I think) is legitimate nonetheless.
I would not want to impugn the sincerity of Osimhen’s teammates neither would I want to accuse them of wrongdoing with wild speculations but one thing is clear: the way the team plays up front does not appear to play to the strengths of Victor Osimhen which currently makes the Nigerian look lame in front of goal.
Until that is addressed by the club hierarchy, I struggle to see how Osimhen’s stuggles will subside.