Why Victor Osimhen to Newcastle United would be a coup

According to the Chronicle Live, Newcastle United have been linked with a move for Nigerian international striker Victor Osimhen, who currently plies his trade with Lille in Ligue 1. 

The Magpies have already started to draw up a shortlist of potential targets ahead of the January transfer window and the 20-year-old has been identified as someone who could possibly add a lot more firepower to the club’s rather no-existent forward line. 

Osimhen, who has been rated as one of the best emerging striking talents in Europe ever since his heroics at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, struggled for playing minutes at Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga but he enhanced his reputation with a 20-goal season on loan at Sporting Charleroi in the Belgian top-flight the last term. 

That paved the way for a permanent move to Charleroi in the summer before the Belgian outfit decided to cash in on the towering Nigerian immediately after buying him. Osimhen joined French side Lille for a fee of £10.8million and he has taken Ligue 1 by storm with his rich vein of form early in the season. 

The 20-year-old Nigerian has already gobbled up 8 goals in 11 appearances across all competitions for Lille this term, including 7 in 9 league fixtures, while also bagging four man-of-the-match awards in the process. 

The Lagos-born starlet has already caught the eye with his physicality, technical skills and poaching instincts in front of goal and his red-hot form in France hasn’t eluded the eyes of Newcastle, who are expected to be in the market for attacking reinforcements in January after enduring a lacklustre start to their campaign. 

Despite having splashed the cash on big names like Joelinton and Allan Sanit-Maximin in the summer, the Magpies have only managed unimpressive returns of 5 goals from their first 9 Premier League games and it is hardly a surprise to see them languish in the bottom three. 

Andy Carroll’s return to Tyneside was tipped to be a major boost to the Magpies prior to the start of the campaign but the former academy graduate has only played a bit-part role, failing to find the net even once. 

To put things into perspective, it is not difficult to see as to why Newcastle have lined up an in-form hitman like Victor Osimhen as a potential target in January and given that the 20-year-old is in the right age bracket, he is certainly worth a punt for the struggling Magpies. 

Of course, there would be no European football on offer if Osimhen were to move to Tyneside in January but the lure of playing in the competitive surroundings of the Premier League is likely to appeal to the player. 

Mike Ashley’s inclination towards signing developing players in the market is well-documented and the Nigerian perfectly fits the profile of players Newcastle ideally like to target in the transfer window. 

Verdict

Pace, power and technique- Osimhen apparently has all the raw attributes to adapt to the English game and his vast potential means that he could well evolve into a top-quality striker for the Magpies in the years to come. 

As well as his obvious pedigree in the air and ability to outmuscle defenders, the youngster is also adept at holding up the ball with his back to goal and using short, slick exchanges to link up the play with his teammates in and around the box. 

Those attributes could bring the best out of more creative players like Joelinton, Almiron and Saint-Maximin and, in turn, enhance the team’s overall gameplay in the final third. 

To that end, though, Newcastle would probably need to shell out a fortune if they are really serious about getting their hands on the Nigerian hitman.

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The 20-year-old’s market value is bound to have rocketed sky-high following his blistering start to life in France and the Magpies might well have to shatter their club-record fee to bring him to the Premier League in January.

However, given his vast potential, Victor Osimhen could be well worth the outlay and Newcastle United making a move for him during the mid-season trading period could go a long way in transforming their fortunes.