Why Victor Osimhen could be a massive coup for Chelsea in January
According to Sky Sports (h/t The Sun), Chelsea are locked in a three-way transfer tussle with Premier League rivals Liverpool and Tottenham over Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, who currently plies his trade with LOSC Lille in Ligue 1.
Osimhen, who scored 20 goals in 36 appearances for Belgian top-flight side Sporting Charleroi on loan from Vfl Wolfsburg in the previous campaign, has taken the French top-division by storm this term following his move to Lille back in the summer window.
The 20-year-old Nigerian international has already bagged 12 goals and 4 assists in 23 appearances for Lille in all competitions so far this season, and his red-hot goalscoring form in Ligue 1 has put some of the Premier League giants on red alert ahead of the January window.
As per the report, Osimhen, who still has four-and-a-half years left to run on his present contract at Lille, is in no hurry to seek an exit and is more than content to continue developing his game in Ligue 1.
However, with Tottenham and Chelsea expected to splash the cash during the mid-season trading period, the highly-rated centre-forward could well be on his way to the Premier League just six months after joining Lille.
Osimhen, who won the Golden Boot award at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, also impressed for Lille in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League this season, scoring in a 2-1 defeat against Chelsea on Matchday 2.
Meanwhile, Chelsea could be set for a busy transfer window in January after the Blues were successful in their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against FIFA’s two-window transfer embargo.
Frank Lampard has been handed a massive transfer kitty of £150 million to bolster his squad during the mid-season trading period, with several top-quality players like Jadon Sancho, Wilfried Zaha, Ben Chilwell, Timo Werner and Leon Bailey emerging on the club’s radar. (h/t Daily Mail)
Indeed, it is clear from that shortlist of potential targets that Chelsea are in the market for some attacking reinforcements to add impetus to their surge for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
With 13 goals and 5 assists to his name already, breakout star Tammy Abraham has certainly made a massive statement of intent in his first full season for Chelsea in the Premier League.
However, the Blues’ recent slump in form, which has seen them crumble to four defeats in their last five league games, is a clear indication that they are relying way too heavily on Abraham, who has only just started to cut the mustard in the English top-flight.
Olivier Giroud’s days at Stamford Bridge look numbered and with the Frenchman expected to seek an exit in January in search of regular minutes (h/t Sun), Chelsea could be left with Michy Batshuayi as the only man to provide cover and competition for Abraham.
To put things into perspective, Chelsea certainly need to reduce the dependence on Tammy Abraham and Victor Osimhen, who is also very much a player in a similar mould, could be an excellent option for the Blues.
Osimhen might not be up there with some of the household names in Europe, but his obvious talent and vast potential, coupled with his impressive start to life in France, suggests that the Nigerian prodigy has all the raw materials to make the step up to the highly-competitive atmosphere of the Premier League in the coming days.
In fact, a player of his calibre could be a lot more than just a back-up to Abraham at Chelsea, given that the 20-year-old has already illustrated his proficiency to deliver the goods against top-quality opposition in the Champions League.
Verdict
As per whoscored, Osimhen averages 4.6 aerial duels, 3.2 shots and 0.9 key passes per game in Ligue 1 this term, figures which speak volumes of his eye for goal as a striker, as well as his ability to dominate the opposition in the air.
Add to that his powerful 6ft. 1-inch frame, which should definitely go a long way towards helping him adjust to the rough-and-tough nature of the English game, and it is easy to see that the Lagos-born starlet has all that it takes to take the Premier League by storm as the next big thing.
Plus, of course, Osimhen perfectly fits the profile of young and developing players put forward by Lampard, who has already worked wonders at Stamford Bridge with the club’s youth brigade. The 20-year-old is only going to get better with time and any significant outlay to bring him to the club would certainly be worth it.
More Chelsea News
- Detailed statistical comparison of Tammy Abraham and Jamie Vardy
- Why Chelsea should not sign Wilfried Zaha in January
- Why Chelsea have struck gold with a long-term deal for Fikayo Tomori
That said, Chelsea’s interest in Victor Osimhen certainly strikes the right chords and this could well be an incredible piece of business if the Blues do manage to beat off competition from their PL rivals.
