By Daily Sports Nigeria on February 2, 2024

Though in awe of Nigeria international, Victor Osimhen, former Manchester United and Arsenal defender, Mikael Silvestre, disagrees with suggestions that the Nigerian will be an upgrade to Brazilian Gabriel Jesus should the Gunners acquire his service, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The Super Eagles striker has been linked with several European clubs having established himself as one of the most prolific strikers in Europe during his three-and-a-half year spell with Napoli, scoring 67 goals in 119 appearances across all competitions.

Osimhen guided Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years last season scoring 26 goals and providing five assists, a performance that saw him claim the Golden Boot honour in Italy.

Despite committing his future to Napoli in December after signing a contract extension until June 2026, the 25-year-old still remains one of the most sought-after strikers ahead of next summer with Arsenal and Chelsea the two clubs leading the race for the Nigerian.

Early January, a UK publication, TEAMtalk, reported that Osimhen, who has a release clause of around £112m, would not be moving this winter transfer window but was willing to sign a pre-agreement in January before making the switch to Chelsea official at the end of the season.

On Tuesday, reports emerged that Arsenal had made contact over a potential move for the in-demand Nigerian striker as they hope to sign him from the Serie A champions with the belief that he would be an upgrade to their current striker, Jesus.

However, Silvestre is not entirely convinced that signing Osimhen would represent an upgrade on Jesus.

He said, as quoted by The Sun, “Osimhen, also a top player. Maybe a little bit more pragmatic in front of goal than Gabriel Jesus. I don’t think he’d necessarily be an upgrade.

“He’s a different type of player than Jesus. Osimhen doesn’t drift as wide as Jesus.

“You always want your No.9 to score as many goals as possible but he’s (Jesus) contributing to Arsenal’s attack in different ways.

“His movement, dragging defenders out of position and he’s making a lot of runs behind, stretching the block. He’s a key player for Arsenal’s success.”

Osimhen is currently on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Nigeria in Ivory Coast and he will hope to help the Eagles overcome Angola as they push for a place in the semi-final of the competition.

Source Punch Ng

Posted February 2, 2024

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