Ex-Eagles warn Oshimhen to be wary of Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barca, others
It is an open secret that Super Eagles youngster, Victor Osimhen is one of the U-21 players in the world being sought after by some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
After some outstanding performances in the colours of Ligue 1 side Lille, the former Nigeria U-17 international is now the interest of European giants like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and most recently Sevilla.
This is not coming as a surprise to those who have been in touch with the growing profile of Osimhen who boasts of two goals in the prestigious UEFA Champions League for Lille.
It will be recalled that on 11 August 2019, Osimhen made his Ligue 1 debut for Lille OSC, scoring a brace against Nantes. The match ended 2–1 in favour of Lille. In October 2019 he became ‘Player of the Month’ for Ligue.
Before joining Wolfsburg from where he moved to Lille after loan spells at Charleroi in the Belgian league, Osimhen had used the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2015 to announce himself to the world. The product of Ultimate Strikers Academy scored 10 goals in seven matches to lead the Golden Eaglets to their fifth world title in Chile.
In addition, he won the Golden Boot and Silver Ball awards. His performances also earned him the CAF Youth Player of the Year award in 2015.
Thereafter, Osimhen continued to rise steadily as he made his senior debut for Nigeria in a 3–0 friendly win over Togo on 1 June 2017.
Having played for the Super Eagles at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations where he replaced Odion Ighalo in the third place match against Tunisia and also played in two high profile international friendlies against Ukraine and Brazil, Osimhen could be said to have arrived.
Without doubt, he is one of those being tipped to lead the next generation of the national team. Most football pundits also believe with the exit of Ighalo, Eagles manager, Gernot Rohr is building his new attack around the young goal poacher.
One interesting thing about Osimhen is that apart from goal scoring, he is hard working. He runs down opposing defenders with his pace. Even when he is not scoring, he assists his co-strikers to score.
It is against this background that many are not surprised that he has become the interest of some of the big clubs that parade world acclaimed strikers like Lionel Messi, Luiz Suarez, Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Tammy Abraham, Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Firmino.
Speaking recently, the young striker said he was excited by the fact that some of Europe’s best clubs are interested in signing
him. He, however, said he was not going to get distracted.
Osimhen’s moment in the sun appears to be here but some Nigerians, particularly former Super Eagles players who spoke to Trust Sports said the young player must weigh his options carefully.
They unanimously hailed Osimhen’s quality and ability to play for any big club in Europe, but warned that he must look well before leaping.
First to speak to Trust Sports was former Super Eagles utility player Garba Lawal who advised Osimhen to tread cautiously, if he is to avoid mistakes of his predecessors.
“As a young player, when a big club comes for you, the first question you should ask is, am I going to get enough playing time?. Will I be able to cope with higher challenges?. If you are deeply convinced that you can cope, then you move.
“Personally, I will advise him to consider playing another season in France with Lille where he is enjoying regular football. But it all depends on him. If he feels it is the right time for him to go, fine and good but he should be ready to take anything that would come out of it.
Lawal stressed the need for the young player to be cautious but left the final decision for him to take.
He also cited the case of Kelechi Iheanacho to buttress his point.
“He has to take risk. Sometimes in life, you must gamble to succeed. Sometimes, it pays off, sometimes, it doesn’t. Anything that happens, you should be ready to take it.
“I believe he has quality but he is still learning.
I think this is the second season he is catching the attention of the big clubs in Europe. So if he stays back to develop further, it will help him. He has to prove again that he is a world class striker. “Osimhen must avoid what happened to Kelechi Iheancho. It took him time to adjust when he fell out of favour at Manchester City. He is gradually getting back his form but it was not easy for him,” he said. On his part, Mutiu Adepoju who was popularly called ‘headmaster’ due to his aerial prowess said Osimhen has enough quality but he should first be sure that he will be given playing time, if he joins any of his suitors. According to him, if such big clubs are interested in signing the young striker, it means they have seen something extra-ordinary in him. “Well, it is difficult to say which club is good for him but I think any of them will be good for him. He is a hard worker. He works very hard and has knack for goals. “However, he should make the right decisions. The most important thing is playing time. Will he have enough opportunity tom play?. “He has to make the decision whether to stay or leave Lille. Already he has Champions League experience and he is doing very well in Ligue 1 so he has proved himself. Although he has much to learn, he is no longer a starter. “If he moves now, it will be good for him but it requires luck. He must pray for luck because ability alone is not enough in situations like this,” he noted. For former BCC Lions and El-Kanemi Warriors striker, Barnbas Imenger, the youngster must not take any decision that will be counterproductive. He said Osimhen must be sure that he won’t be shut out of the first team, if he joins any of the big clubs. “Is he sure he will get a first team shirt in any of these clubs?. He should be sure of the decision he wants to take. “My advice for him is that he should weigh all the options. It will make no sense if he leaves Lille where he is playing regularly to be a bench warmer in one of these clubs. “I am happy that big clubs like Barca, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Liverpool have acknowledged his talent but going to sit on the bench will kill his fledging career. “If you ask me, it is better to be a big fish in a small pond than to be a small fish in a big pond,” he advised.