GOALThe Nigerian was expected to join Real Madrid, PSG, or a top-tier English club this summer, but he ended up with a Europa League team instead.
Victor Osimhen had a clear strategy. Even though he inked a new deal with Napoli last December that substantially boosted his earnings, he never planned to remain at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona past the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.
The striker knew where he wanted to go and, more importantly, how he was going to get there. "Since I've started [playing professionally], I've been the one making my own decisions," he told CBS Sports in January, "and everything is working out well for me." Not anymore, though.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Osimhen was given a rapturous welcome after arriving in Istanbul ahead of the completion of his loan move to Galatasaray. He may have been all smiles – but this was not part of the plan. This was a most unexpected humiliation, an utterly calamitous conclusion to a transfer saga involving Osimhen and Napoli that has yielded no winners – only losers.
