Transfer Saga: Don’t throw Osimhen under the bus, Ighalo begs Nigerians

Former Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo has called on Nigerians to rally behind out-of-favour Napoli star, Victor Osimhen, during his trying times.

Napoli appears to have removed Victor Osimhen from their first-team squad and handed his shirt number to Romelu Lukaku. The 25-year-old striker was expected to leave on Deadline Day, but moves to Chelsea and Al Ahli fell through.

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However, Ighalo has exonerated the striker from the much-debated transfer saga, stating that he is human, after all.

Ighalo admitted that the striker may have made some mistakes in the past, but insisted it is not enough for Nigerians to cast aspersions on their player when he needs their support the most.

“No human being is perfect and we have all made mistakes in life, but seeing comments about this young man from his country people makes me sad, without even knowing what happened. I spoke to him and I can feel the pain in his voice, the way he’s been treated, this,” he lamented on his verified X account.

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It was claimed the Saudi Pro League side had a bid worth £67m accepted by Napoli and offered Osimhen a four-year package worth £135m in wages and bonuses. Chelsea were unwilling to match the terms on offer in Saudi Arabia and did not want to overspend on the deal due to Profit and Sustainability regulations.

The Nigerian ended up staying at Napoli despite his relationship with the club being strained. Now, Osimhen no longer appears on the club website, while new signing Lukaku is listed as their No.9.