Finally Victor Osimhen’s transfer to Arsenal is going to be completed after the player issued an Arsenal transfer message indicating that he will join after the Afcon.
Victor Osimhen, a player targeted by Arsenal for a potential transfer, once again found the net for Nigeria during their African Cup of Nations match against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday. Despite his noteworthy performance, concerns arose.
The 25-year-old spearheaded the Super Eagles’ attack in their group stage opener in the Ivory Coast, marking the beginning of their quest to become African champions. Nigeria faced a setback, settling for a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea, ranked 88th in the world. Despite being favorites to advance from Group A alongside hosts Ivory Coast, Nigeria couldn’t secure a victory.
Iban Salvador opened the scoring for Equatorial Guinea in the 36th minute, but Osimhen swiftly responded by displaying adept center-forward instincts, heading in Ademola Lookman’s cross. Despite their dominance, Nigeria’s wastefulness in front of goal prevented them from securing a win.
Osimhen missed several key opportunities in the second half, with his shot accuracy recorded at only 33% from six chances. This statistic indicated that he managed to get only two of his shots on target. In the final 15 minutes, he had another golden chance to clinch the game but sent a right-footed shot wide of the post, reminiscent of recent months.
Having a release clause of £112 million in his current Napoli deal, Osimhen has been a prolific scorer, netting 39 goals in all competitions over the past two seasons (2022/23 and 2023/24), including 31 in 39 appearances last season. His goal-scoring prowess aligns with Arsenal’s need for a center-forward, as Mikel Arteta’s team has lacked a consistent goal-scorer.
While Ivan Toney’s arrival is more likely this month, Osimhen’s potential signing is on the horizon for the summer. Arsenal is closely monitoring Osimhen’s performances in AFCON, recognizing the challenges he faces against defensive low blocks, similar to the encounter with Equatorial Guinea.
