Osimhen 'will be a great asset to Napoli, I wish him well' - Emmanuel Amuneke

Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen has moved to Italian top flight club SSC Napoli from French Ligue 1 club LOSC Lille. Photo: SSCNapoli

Former Golden Eaglets coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, has revealed that the presence of Nigeria’s Victor Osimhem, in Napoli will in no doubt, lift the strength of the Italian club.


Overwhelmed by the record signing transfer of his former player in the Golden Eaglets, Amuneke expressed optimism that Osimhen would paint the Italian league with goals.

He however observed that Osimhem’s switch from Lille to Napoli is a deal that makes the former Sporting Charleroi star the most expensive Nigerian footballer in history.

Amuneke brought Osimhen and several other talented youngsters, including Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze, to international limelight when he guided the Nigerian national under-17 side to triumph at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile.

Osimhen has grown from claiming the Golden Boot and Silver Ball award at that tournament to sealing his reputation as one of the most exciting strikers in Europe at the moment.

The 21-year-old has smashed in 38 goals over the last two seasons for both Charleroi and Lille, a prolific streak that has convinced Napoli to put together an €80 million deal for him.

“I’m excited and very happy that Victor has finally signed for Napoli, and this is remarkable particularly at these challenging times,” he said.

“Of course, I’m happy with the progress being made by the boys we picked in 2015 for the Golden Eaglets; you talk about Samuel Chukwueze in Villarreal; Kelechi Nwakali recently gained promotion to La Liga with Huelva, and there are others in other clubs in Europe too.

“This is an exciting time for Nigerian football, and I’m so pleased that Victor’s transfer to Napoli is now sealed; I wish him well.

“He’s a kind of player with hunger to win, and he will be a great asset to Napoli.”

Osimhen is contracted to Napoli for the next five years and is expected to earn between €4m and €4.5m per season.SportingLife