Emmanuel Adebayor believes that Victor Osimhen could have a similar impact as Didier Drogba were he to swap Napoli for Chelsea.
Osimhen has long been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal all linked with him. He has been fantastic for Napoli, scoring 67 goals and registering 17 assists in 119 appearances for the club.
He fired his team to the Serie A title last season, scoring 31 goals in 39 games across all competitions to establish himself as one of Europe’s best goalscorers. But the €120million (£103m) release clause in his contract has prevented a deal from being done so far.
Osimhen, who has eight goals in 18 appearances this season, has made it clear he would like to join Chelsea. And former Arsenal and Manchester City striker Adebayor thinks he would take the Premier League by storm were he to move.
“He has the right attitude, mentality and determination to excel there [in England],” Adebayor told BBC Sport Africa. “I’m praying for him to move to the Premier League and show what he’s capable of. The Premier League is the toughest and best [league] in the world.
“Osimhen has shown and done it already in Italy, I think it is the right time for him to move to England and replace his idol Drogba and do beautiful things. He has all it takes to make a name and write a great chapter in England like Drogba.”
Chelsea are keen to sign a striker, with Nicolas Jackson on international duty with Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations and Christopher Nkunku injured once again. They have been linked with Osimhen and Brentford star Ivan Toney, but Mauricio Pochettino has insisted he is happy with his current options up front.
“We had a conversation with the owners and sporting directors today and yesterday,” he said. “I am so happy because we have [Armando] Broja, we have [Cole] Palmer who can play centre-forward, we have different players that can play in the striker position and Chelsea needs our second-line players to help the team score goals and win games.
“I am very positive and happy with the squad. If something appears, we will announce it. It is not necessary to sell to buy some players.”
Osimhen would not make sense as a January transfer, given he is also currently unavailable for his club side due to international duty with Nigeria at AFCON. The 25-year-old is under contract with Napoli until June 2026 and the Italian side are in a strong position for any transfer negotiations.
Speaking in October, Osimhen said: “I am happy at Napoli. People don’t know how difficult it is to play in Serie A. From a tactical and physical point of view, it’s one of the most difficult leagues to play in.”
