Manchester United’s target Victor Osimhen’s Arsenal opportunity. Victor Osimhen, a target for Manchester United, disclosed that at the age of 18, he almost joined Arsenal. The Napoli forward has been on fire this season, scoring 25 goals in 29 games across all categories. He contributes significantly to the Italian powerhouses’ 19-point advantage at the summit of the Serie A standings with 11 games remaining.
Unsurprisingly, Osimhen has caught the eye of some of the best clubs in Europe, including Manchester United. He came to Europe in January 2017 after being formally acquired by VfL Wolfsburg from Ultimate Strikers FC Deba two days after turning 19.
Osimhen had the opportunity to join Arsenal at that time and even spoke with Arsene Wenger, the then-manager of the club. In a recent interview, he stated that “I spoke with Arsene Wenger and he wanted me to come to Arsenal, but it was not the best option at the time” (h/t @CentreGoals on Twitter).
The Nigerian forward might be making a joke about possibly not getting enough playing time at the Emirates. Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck, Lucas Perez, and Olivier Giroud were Arsenal’s top four center-forward choices in the 2016–17 campaign.
Before permanently departing the team for RSC Charleroi in the summer of 2019, Osimhen participated in 16 matches for Die Wolfe across various competitions without scoring. The following year, he signed with LOSC Lille Metropole but departed after just one season to join Napoli for a fee of €70 million.
Since then, the 24-year-old has played 91 games for the Gli Azzurri, scoring 53 goals and dishing out 14 assists in various tournaments. Now that Manchester United is in the market for a new center-forward this summer, he has been connected to a transfer there.
The Red Devils have also been connected with moves for Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur and Moussa Dembele of Olympique Lyonnais. Following Cristiano Ronaldo’s abrupt departure from Manchester United in November, Manchester United acquired Wout Weghorst on a six-month loan from Burnley in January.
With his ongoing injury problems limiting him to just 461 Premier League minutes this season, Anthony Martial provided little upfront. Weghorst revealed to the Mirror (h/t GOAL) what manager Erik ten Hag had said to him when he first met United: “.All Ten Hag said was that he needed a striker who could fit into his style of playing. He most definitely did not depict the scene as it stands today. His striker, Anthony Martial, was doing well, but the manager wanted all spots to have two people in them because of his injury history.
In 18 games this season for Manchester United across all categories, the 30-year-old has two goals and as many assists.
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