Steve McManaman wasn’t too impressed after watching Chelsea target Victor Osimhen play for Napoli last night in the Champions League.
Victor Osimhen’s late goal helped Napoli earn a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night in a Champions League first leg knockout tie.
However, the 25-year-old striker had a battling display before his late heroics.
WhoScored data recorded that Osimhen scored versus Barcelona with his only shot attempt. He finished the contest with only a 56 per cent passing accuracy, too.
Pundit Steve McManaman claimed that Napoli’s Osimhen looked a long way off a £100 million player based on his midweek performance in Europe.
“I think the only reason we’re focusing on him and almost criticising him is because of his value,” McManaman told TNT Sports 2 (10:15pm, 21 February)
“He had a wonderful season last year. There’s talk about him being a £100 million centre-forward. He certainly didn’t play like that tonight. He has to somehow get back to that form to drag Napoli forward.”
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Chelsea target Victor Osimhen
It’s interesting to hear McManaman’s criticism of Napoli’s frontman amid strong rumours about Chelsea interest this year.
CaughtOffside recently claimed that Chelsea are prepared to push hard to try sign Napoli’s Osimhen this summer and bring him to the Premier League for the first time.
Meanwhile, The Evening Standard reports that Osimhen has a release clause worth £112 million amid interest from Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
The Chelsea target hasn’t been in the same kind of devastating form he showed in Napoli colours last season, when he managed 31 goals across all competitions.
However, his clinical finishing around the penalty box is exactly what’s missing from the current Blues squad at Stamford Bridge.
We’d be urging the club to keep a close eye on the forward for the rest of the campaign before potentially investing in him next season.
