HERE WE GO: Jose Mourinho has explained to Arsenal why they need to finalize a £84 million transfer.
Jose Mourinho has drawn a comparison between Napoli’s star striker Victor Osimhen and Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, emphasizing that a club with significant financial resources, like Arsenal, should secure Osimhen’s services.
Osimhen, 25, has been impressive in Serie A, scoring 65 league goals since joining Napoli from LOSC Lille in 2020. His performance has attracted interest from several Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United. Arsenal, in particular, has struggled to find a reliable striker, with Gabriel Jesus not making a significant impact since his transfer from Manchester City in 2022. If Arsenal had a prolific number 9, they might have achieved Premier League success in the last two seasons. Instead, they narrowly missed out to Manchester City by just two points in both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.
Mourinho has compared Osimhen to Drogba, who scored 104 goals and provided 55 assists for Chelsea between 2004 and 2015, winning two Golden Boots and four Premier League titles. Mourinho stated in 2023 that Osimhen is at Drogba’s level but needs to improve his behavior. He advised that if he were at a club with ample funds, he would sign Osimhen but warned that if Osimhen moves to England, he would need to adjust his style because the Premier League is less tolerant of certain behaviors compared to Italy.
For Arsenal to acquire Osimhen for the 2024/25 season, they might need to meet his reported £113 million release clause. He signed a contract extension with Napoli in December 2023, keeping him at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium until 2026. Although his market value is estimated at £84 million, Napoli might be willing to accept a bid around this amount. However, this is a significant sum for Arsenal, which has a reported wage bill of £164,476,000 for the upcoming season. Chelsea is also interested in Osimhen, as they need a number 9 after a disappointing sixth-place finish in the Premier League last season. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is currently the frontrunner to sign Osimhen, having freed up Kylian Mbappe’s £26.2 million annual salary following Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid.
If Chelsea misses out on Osimhen, Enzo Maresca has other options, including Viktor Gyokeres, Karim Adeyemi, and Maximilian Beier, who have all been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. Arsenal might also see another forward, Eddie Nketiah, leave soon, with Marseille showing interest following their recent signing of Mason Greenwood from Manchester United.