Why Osimhen Dumped Chelsea For Galatasaray

Victor Osimhen has secured a loan move to Turkish champions Galatasaray after a long transfer saga that saw him turn down a move to two-time European champions Chelsea and Saudi club Al Ahli.

Critics have questioned Osimhen’s decision to opt for a move to Turkey after rejecting Chelsea’s offer and have accused the Super Eagles of Nigeria striker of being more interested in money than his career.

Many consider Osimhen’s move to Turkey as a downgrade in his career, but there is always another side to a story.

Osimhen is just 25 years old and is one of the best strikers in the world, with only the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Robert Lewandowski comparable to the Nigerian forward.

However, staying out of the game for the next four months until the winter transfer window in January or maybe a full year because of his broken relationship with Napoli and Antonio Conte’s unwillingness to reintegrate him into the project is the real downgrade.

Related: Osimhen Faked Injury To Miss Nigeria’s Game Against South Africa?

Osimhen needs to play to stay relevant, and if he succeeds in Turkey, offers will come from the big guns again in January or by the end of the season.

Chelsea did not do enough to land the Nigerian striker, which is evident in the meager offer they made the former Lille OSC striker. The English club was not willing to pay more than the €9/10 million annual pay the Serie A winner earns in Napoli.

Forwards who cannot be compared to Osimhen at the moment, such as Raheem Sterling, earn over €16 million annually from Chelsea, and despite his loan move to Arsenal, the club covers more than half of his pay but is not willing to pay Osimhen.

Football is business, and there is usually less compassion from clubs when they want to offload players who are deemed surplus to requirements. Hence, the only avenue for players to keep their heads high is by demanding wages that equal their worth.

Erling Haaland was supposed to join Barcelona during his last year at Borussia Dortmund, but the financial situation of Barca meant they could not afford his wage demands, and he moved to Manchester City instead.

Only a few players cut down on their wage demands, and that is mostly to fulfill their career dreams of joining a chosen club, such as Ilkay Gundogan, Jules Kounde, and others who cut their salary demands to join FC Barcelona and fulfill their childhood dreams. Kylian Mbappe also cut down his wage at PSG to fulfill his dream of joining Real Madrid.

The difference between these players and Osimhen is that they had to cut down because of Barca’s financial situation, and for Mbappe, PSG were paying so much just to retain his services that a cut was expected to secure a move to Real Madrid.

Clubs will go any length to sign players that they feel are important to their project, and Chelsea’s offer did not suggest that, as they went all out for players below the level of Osimhen, such as Murdyk, but will have negotiations all summer for the African Player of the Year.

Some critics have suggested that Osimhen is not highly rated because he is an African, and they might have credible reasons because it is hard to understand why the man that led Napoli to their first Italian league title in 33 years, finished as the highest goal scorer in the same season, the highest scoring African in the history of the Serie A, and set a few other records, will be disrespected with a meager offer by Chelsea.

Osimhen wants to be respected just like every player in European football, and if going to Galatasaray will help him achieve this, he is willing to take that route.