Victor Osimhen: The Premier League's Next Striker Sensation
Victor Osimhen has spent years circling the Premier League without ever quite landing. The interest has never gone away. If anything, it’s getting louder.
The Nigerian striker’s European journey has already taken in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy and now Turkey. He first flickered into wider view at Wolfsburg, but it was at Charleroi where his potential turned into end product. Goals in Belgium earned him a move to Lille, and a blistering 2019-20 season in Ligue 1 pushed him onto a bigger stage.
Napoli came calling. The fee was big, the expectations even bigger. Osimhen met them head on. Across the 2022-23 campaign he hit 31 goals and dragged Napoli to a long-awaited Serie A title, snapping a 33-year wait and putting himself firmly on the radar of England’s elite. Scouts and sporting directors took note. So did the old strikers.
Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea have all been credited with serious interest at various points, weighing up whether his mix of pace, power and ruthless finishing is the missing piece in their forward lines. For now, though, Osimhen is doing his damage in Turkey.
At Galatasaray he has turned into a machine. Sixty-five goals in 78 appearances is not form, it’s a habit. Defenders know what’s coming; they still can’t stop it.
That kind of record inevitably brings the Premier League question. Would he fit? Would he dominate? Andrew Cole, who knows a thing or two about scoring goals in England, sees the tools.
“He does. He scores goals,” the 1999 Treble winner told GOAL, speaking in association with Unibet. “He scored goals in Italy and he's scoring goals in Turkey as well.”
Cole didn’t dress it up as a simple deal. He pointed to the reality behind the transfer noise: “There’s many different factors in signing a player from a respective country. It's not all about just the salary or the transfer fee. There could be many different things that go on. If he does come to the Premier League, which I think he will be very good in the Premier League, you never know who he'll go to.”
That last line hangs over the conversation. If Osimhen does arrive in England, who wins that race?
Plenty of former United players are clear about who should be at the front of the queue. Old Trafford has been crying out for a reliable, relentless No.9, and ex-captains and cult heroes keep circling back to the same name.
Patrice Evra, speaking to GOAL, stripped the debate down to basics when asked what United need: “A striker, someone who scores a goal. I think that's what I'm looking at. That's why for me, Osimhen is the best. He’s a perfect example.”
Louis Saha, another former United forward who understands the scrutiny that comes with the shirt, went even further in his praise. For him, this isn’t just about numbers. It’s about mentality.
“I really like Victor Osimhen. He's definitely got the character, he's got the quality,” Saha said. “He’s also got good European pedigree: he was a success in France, he was a champion in Italy with Napoli and he’s gone to Turkey with Galatasaray and been brilliant, a move that he probably didn't want, let's be honest.”
The pattern is clear. Different leagues, same outcome. Goals.
“He’s scored goals at every level. He’s got Champions League experience,” Saha added, before homing in on what he believes United lack. “And further more, he’s got the type of personality and charisma that this United squad could really benefit from.
“I think he would be a transformational signing for Manchester United. If you think about the pressure that he was under at Napoli, firing the club to its first title in 33 years, then he’s the perfect man to lead the line for Manchester United. I think he would have a huge impact at United. I would love to see the club hierarchy move for him, I think he is exactly what we need.”
From Wolfsburg to Charleroi, Lille to Napoli, and now Galatasaray, Osimhen has answered every challenge with goals and presence. The next one, inevitably, looms in England.
If the Premier League really is his next stop, the only real mystery left is whose colours he’ll be wearing when he finally sprints out of that tunnel.
