Victor Osimhen dispelled rumors of his possible departure from Napoli and did so by praising his coach, Luciano Spalletti, who ejected him from a training session last Sunday.
The Italian coach acted as referee in a preparatory match and was forced to take the Nigerian off the field after he responded angrily to an action by Norwegian defender Leo Ostigard.
The 23-year-old striker, who contributed 24 goals in all competitions for the Partenopei last season, was linked with a transfer to Bayern Munich and Tottenham, although in his last statements he assured that he wants to stay in his current squad.
“A transfer? I spoke with ADL (Napoli owner Aurelio de Laurentiis), don’t worry. Spalletti is top,” the African stressed in dialogue with Corriere dello Sport.
“I’m at Napoli and I have great respect for my club. They’re just rumors from the transfer market. I’m fine here and I’ve never had such a close relationship with everyone as I do at the moment. I’ve spoken to the president, he’s the one who decides, and he reassured me by explaining the club’s plans to me”, expanded the former Lille and Wolfsburg.
With 14 goals in Serie A in the 2021/22 campaign, the Lagos-born was a key figure for the Blues, who finished the season strong by winning the last four matches to finish third behind Inter and champions Milan.
Although the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens have all left in this transfer window, Osimhen insisted he wants to remain under Spalletti. “He is a great coach. Every day he tries to motivate me and make me take full advantage of the potential I have. I think he is the ideal coach for me at this stage,” he said.