Tag: Victor Osimhen

Chelsea approach to sign top-class striker before window closes, but it isn’t Victor Osimhen
Features, Premier League

Chelsea approach to sign top-class striker before window closes, but it isn’t Victor Osimhen

Chelsea have been in the market for a new striker ever since the summer 2024 transfer window opened, as Nicolas Jackson had an uneven first season at Stamford Bridge. Napoli star Victor Osimhen has long been heralded as the ideal No. 9 for Chelsea, having led all players in Serie A in goals during the 2022/23 season before sliding back a bit in 2023/24 due to injuries. Osimhen's recent injury record, wages, and transfer cost have caused Chelsea to cool their interest in the world-class No. 9, and they have actually spent more resources signing wide forwards. However, Chelsea are circling back to a striker signing in the final days of the summer transfer window, and while many expected that striker to be Osimhen, it looks like the Blues are going for another No. 9 they were linked ...
Chelsea get intriguing Victor Osimhen transfer update
Features, Premier League, Serie A

Chelsea get intriguing Victor Osimhen transfer update

Chelsea have been linked to Napoli star striker Victor Osimhen on and off again throughout the summer 2024 window, and it appears the links to the Nigerian No. 9 may be heating up in the days before the window ends. That's largely been the strategy taken by Chelsea and London rivals Arsenal, who are also keen on the 2022/23 Capocannoniere winner as a proven goal-scoring upgrade to help both sides reach their goals. Arsenal believe they are a great scoring 9 away from winning the Premier League, while Chelsea may legitimately be a player like Osimhen away from returning to title contention in their own right. Chelsea already put six past Wolves with Nicolas Jackson bagging a brace and Noni Madueke a hat trick, so imagine what they could achieve with a full-strength Osimhen leading ...
Ranking the 10 best strikers in Serie A in 2024
Features, Serie A

Ranking the 10 best strikers in Serie A in 2024

Here are the 10 best strikers in Serie A right now in 2024 based on a combination of recent success and overall pedigree. 10. Andrea Pinamonti, Sassuolo Andrea Pinamonti has been one of the most perennially disappointing strikers in Italian football because on the basis of talent alone, he should be in the top five of the best strikers in Serie A. Instead, Pinamonti does find himself in the top 10, as he has turned out to be a decent striker in his own right, capable of utter brilliance when inspiration strikers and his best quality comes to the fore. 9. Duvan Zapata, Torino After a poor final season in Bergamo, the iconic Duvan Zapata got a new lease on life in Torino and proceeded to dispatch 12 goals with 4 assists to rebound somewhat and regain his reputation as one of the bette...
The 5 best striker transfer targets for Chelsea in the summer 2024 window
Features, Premier League

The 5 best striker transfer targets for Chelsea in the summer 2024 window

Chelsea unearthed one of the best players in the Premier League last season with summer 2023 signing Cole Palmer from Manchester City, and he is a potential perennial source of 20 goals after rattling off 22 for the Blues last season. But Chelsea still don't have a top striker to lead the line. Fellow summer 2023 addition Nicolas Jackson showed signs of growth at the end of his first Chelsea campaign, but he still seems to be too inconsistent to be a true superstar striker in the Premier League. As Chelsea continue to look at options on the open market at striker, here are their five best bets in the summer 2024 transfer window. Victor Osimhen, Napoli Napoli star Victor Osimhen is reportedly no longer a transfer target for Chelsea, but he could still become one again in the future ...
5 possible transfer targets for Real Madrid at striker
Features, LaLiga

5 possible transfer targets for Real Madrid at striker

Although Real Madrid lost Karim Benzema in the summer 2023 transfer window - one year earlier than they expected - the Merengue club elected against opening up their pocketbooks to sign an elite striker option to replace the Frenchman. Instead, Los Blancos acquired LaLiga veteran Joselu on loan from Espanyol following their relegation, deciding to use new midfield signing Jude Bellingham in an attacking role behind a two-forward setup of Rodrygo Goes and Vinícius Júnior. So far, it's actually been defensive issues holding back Madrid rather than attacking woes, even if the presence of a true anchor point at the 9 is missing. It would make sense for Real Madrid to show interest in a 9 this coming summer if the right opportunity did pop up, as incoming signing Endrick is still only ...
Ranking the 10 best strikers in 2023/24: Inter Milan duo join Barça’s Lewandowski, Bayern’s Kane
Champions League, Features

Ranking the 10 best strikers in 2023/24: Inter Milan duo join Barça’s Lewandowski, Bayern’s Kane

Nobody generates more headlines than the players who score the goals. Most clubs with aspirations of winning trophies require a man up top who can consistently find the back of the net, with very few exceptions existing in the history of world football. But who are the best strikers on the planet right now? Let's rank the top 10, based on a combination of pedigree and performance in the 2023/24 season, more heavily weighing recent performances. Because sport is a "what have you done for me lately?" business. Note that only out-and-out strikers were included, so players like Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé who share time between positions or players like Vinícius Júnior who are wingers playing as left-sided forwards did not count. 10. Marcus Thuram, Inter Milan Marcus Thuram ...
Ranking the 10 best forwards in men’s football right now in 2023
Features

Ranking the 10 best forwards in men’s football right now in 2023

No players are more coveted in world football than the forwards who score the goals, take the defense on, and create the chances that win matches. Every elite club needs an elite forward - and really two - in order to compete at the highest level and truly be an elite team at the Champions League level. So let's take a look at the 10 best forwards in the game, focusing on strikers and wingers whose primary job is to score the goals and create the assists that win their teams' matches. Many of these players are strikers and inverted wingers, because those are the positions that make the biggest difference on the score line in the modern game. 10. Christopher Nkunku Christopher Nkunku will head to Chelsea for the 2023/24 season after being the best Bundesliga player over the last three ...
Final 2022/23 Serie A Team of the Season
Features, Serie A

Final 2022/23 Serie A Team of the Season

Although Verona and Spezia still have one last match to decide who stays and who goes, the 2022/23 Serie A season officially concluded on Sunday with Roma sealing a Europa League spot over Juventus - thanks to the superstar they signed from the Bianconeri for free, Paulo Dybala. La Joya undoubtedly has a place in the final 2022/23 Serie A Team of the Season, which is unsurprisingly dominated by Napoli stars. But there may be some picks that surprise you in this all-star XI. GK Ivan Provedel, Lazio: Alex Meret also had a fantastic season in goal for the Partenopei. At the same time, the likes of Wladimiro Falcone were excellent for sides that survived a relegation threat. Yet Ivan Provedel has to be recognized as the best goalkeeper in Serie A. For years, he helped Spezia stay afloat,...
Ranking the 10 best strikers on the 2023 summer transfer market
Features

Ranking the 10 best strikers on the 2023 summer transfer market

The 2022/23 league seasons are all rapidly coming to a close, so the discussions around European football are increasingly focused on the upcoming 2023 summer transfer window that opens up in a month. No position is more coveted on the open market than striker. Every top club needing a No. 9 is ready to pay a premium for the right player who can transform their domestic or Champions League title hopes. Let's rank the top 10 strikers who could be available on the 2023 summer transfer market, mixing established names with exciting up-and-coming stars. 10. Álvaro Morata, Atlético Madrid Álvaro Morata is one of the most underappreciated players in world football. The Atlético Madrid man is an excellent all-around player. There's a reason why so many acclaimed managers have coveted Mora...
Features, Ligue 1

10 possible transfer targets for PSG in summer 2023

Although PSG are set to cruise to another Ligue 1 title, they were knocked out of the Champions League Round of 16 for a second straight season. After collapsing against Real Madrid in 2021/22, they were nowhere close to challenging Bayern München, failing to create chances across two clean-sheet defeats to the Bavarian giants. Clearly, the PSG project isn't succeeding. The club was able to hold onto Kylian Mbappé last summer amidst interest from Real Madrid, largely because they hired Luís Campos and Christopher Galtier while promising to build a true project based around a balanced squad to support Mbappé over the long term. PSG have to get things right in the summer 2023 transfer window, otherwise Mbappé could decide to join Los Blancos. Here are 10 possible targets for PSG ...