Victor Osimhen has been on Arsenal’s transfer radar for a number of years, and it’s looking more and more likely that they'll again make a move for the striker in the summer. We know Arsenal will be in the market for at least one new forward this year as they look to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who departed in January, as well as Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah who are set to leave at the end of this campaign on free transfers.
Arsene Wenger tried to bring Osimhen to Arsenal way back in 2017, although the forward has since confirmed that he didn’t feel ready to make such a big move at an early stage in his career. "I spoke with Arsene Wenger after the tournament (Under-17 World Cup) ended and he wanted me to come to Arsenal," Osimhen said in an interview back in 2020.
"I had a lot of options. Barcelona; Inter Milan; Atletico Madrid; Juventus and the rest. Arsenal was a good option but it wasn’t the best at the time. I wanted to start playing as soon as I turned 18."
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The Nigerian international instead opted to join German side Wolfsburg. He impressed there and a move to Lille followed in 2019. It was there where the forward started to come of age, scoring 18 goals for the French side en route to helping them secure the Ligue 1 crown.
Napoli then swooped in that summer in a deal worth a reported £45million, and upon arriving there, the 23-year-old very much continued in the same vein for the Serie A side. He has so far scored 25 goals across 55 appearances. Although that highlights how Osimhen is an efficient goalscorer - exactly what any club wants from a striker - there are other facets to his game that make him so appealing from an Arsenal perspective. One of these is his size. He stands at 6ft 1ins and has an outstanding leap on him, making him a real asset from set-pieces and crossing situations.
Notably only one player has scored more headed league goals across Europe’s top five leagues than Osimhen this season (five). Despite his size though, he has a slim frame meaning he’s still extremely mobile. This makes him more than adequate at leading a line, running onto through balls, linking play or closing down opposition defenders when his side are pressing without the ball.
From an Arsenal recruitment point of view, Osimhen ticks many boxes. Yet given how much it could cost to land the striker - possibly upwards of £60million - the club would be hoping for an immediate return on their investment. This is often hard to guarantee when new players come from abroad to the Premier League. However, one way in which that transition can be made as smooth as possible is by creating a similar playing environment to what the new arrival is used to.
With that in mind, it’s interesting to note that at Napoli, manager Luciano Spalletti tends to often set his team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with a big emphasis on retaining possession and building through the thirds. As things stand, they have the highest possession average (58%) in Serie A. This approach mirrors that of Arteta at Arsenal, both in playing philosophy and even formation with the Gunners boss most often favouring setting his team up in a 4-2-3-1. This means should he arrive at the Emirates Stadium, Osimhen would be entering an environment to which he is well suited.
Although this may seem a small detail, the same could actually be crucial in terms of Osimhen both hitting the ground running at Arsenal and laying foundations to be a huge success at the club. It’s likely that this has been one of the factors considered when assessing the suitability of Osimhen and could be key to persuading Arsenal to make a move this summer.
