Mauricio Pochettino Wants Osimhen In Chelsea Next Season
One of the first things soon-to-be Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino will be tasked to do when he takes over is to look for a solution for the club’s goal-scoring problems this season.
Chelsea averaged just over a goal per game in the Premier League this term. With three matches remaining in the 2022/23 season, the Blues have netted 36 goals in 35 games. Their top goal-scorers in the league are Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling, and they have just nine each to their names.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was brought in by Thomas Tuchel last September as the former Chelsea head coach looked to sign that traditional No.9 who would fire around 15 or 20 goals in the Premier League. But the reunion was very much short-lived when Tuchel was sacked less than a week later.
Aubameyang hasn’t really had the chance to shine at Stamford Bridge this season and when he has been afforded the opportunity, he has not repaid the faith.
With Pochettino expected to be confirmed as Chelsea’s new head coach in the near future, the club is looking at signing a goalkeeper, a central midfielder, and a striker during the summer window. The center-forward position is perhaps the most crucial to get right out of them all. Chelsea cannot afford another campaign where they struggle in front of goal as much as they have this time around.
Ivan Toney is also someone who has been looked at but concerns over a possible ban for the Brentford striker mean Chelsea are cautious in that regard. Harry Kane has been linked, which was inevitable with Pochettino coming in, but any move for the Tottenham striker is deemed highly unlikely for a variety of reasons.
The club will be hoping Armando Broja will return to fitness soon and at least get some sort of pre-season under his belt before the 2023/24 campaign begins. Meanwhile, Aubameyang is expected to leave Stamford Bridge with just over 12 months remaining on his contract, while questions still remain over whether Havertz can play as Chelsea’s No.9 should they want to compete at the top of the table once again in the near future.
Victor Osimhen of Napoli is a man on the club’s shortlist. We understand the 24-year-old is very much liked by Chelsea ahead of the summer transfer window and the club is considering making a move for the Nigeria international.
Osimhen, however, would not come cheap, with the striker scoring 23 goals in 29 league games so far to help Napoli win their first Serie A title in over 30 years in a historic season for the club.
The Blues view Osimhen as someone who can potentially help with their problem in front of goal but are aware there will be immense competition for his signature after such a strong season. Chelsea will have no European football to offer the striker either which could prove a sticking point in any negotiations.
Strong in the air, extremely quick and explosive, with an unquenchable knack in front of goal. Osimhen has all of the attributes a modern-day striker needs and at 24, he has theoretically not even reached the peak in his career just yet.
A move to the Premier League is something of a “dream” for Osimhen. The Nigerian has now been in Naples for almost four years after making the move from Lille in 2019 after spells in Belgium, Germany, and Nigeria beforehand.
A lot of people worldwide consider the Premier League as the best and the strongest league but now I’m in one of the best leagues in the world which is the Italian Serie A,” Osimhen said in March. “I’m working so hard to make sure that I achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League some day but like I said, it’s a process and I just want to keep on this momentum and continue to do well.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, however, insisted earlier in the month that there is “no way” Osimhen will be moved on from Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this summer. De Laurentiis said: “I will not sell Victor Osimhen this summer – no way!”
