Why Chelsea should soon make a move for in-form striker Osimhen
A Sky Sports report suggests that Chelsea are monitoring Lille’s in-form striker Victor Osimhen.
With Chelsea finally able to sign new players after getting their transfer ban reduced to just one window, young Osimhen’s name has topped their list of targets for the upcoming January transfer window.
The 20-year-old is currently in red-hot form in the Ligue 1 this season and is the third joint top-scorer alongside PSG’s Kylian Mbappe and Lyon’s Memphis Depay. He has started in all of Lille’s 17 league games till now and has 9 goals and 4 assists to his name.
The towering striker’s eye-catching displays in front of the goal have seen Lille grab the third place in the table, behind second-placed Marseille and leaders PSG.
Osimhen has an overall tally of 12 goals in all competitions this season and has grown into a key figure in the Lille squad managed by Christophe Galtier.
Born in Lagos, Osimhen’s exploits at the Under-17 World Cup in 2015 caught the eye of German side Wolfsburg, who signed him in 2017. However, the youngster struggled to get adequate game time there, making just 16 appearances, failing to register even a single goal.
His unimpressive showings saw him being offloaded on a season-long loan deal to Belgian outfit Charleroi in the summer of 2018, where he enhanced his reputation as one of the brightest prospects in Europe by scoring 20 goals in his debut season.
Impressed by his displays, Charleroi made his loan deal permanent, signing him the very next summer. They soon decided to cash in on him, after receiving a £10.8million offer from French side Lille.
Ever since landing in France, Osimhen has looked a different class, growing into one of the league’s best strikers. An excellent poacher, Osimhen’s physicality and technical abilities suit the mould of a proper Premier League striker and it is no big wonder that Chelsea are eyeing him.
Meanwhile, Lampard must strengthen his attacking options ahead of the winter transfer window, having solely relied upon the services of young striker Tammy Abraham.
The 22-year academy graduate has netted 11 of Chelsea’s 31 league goals this season but has been plagued by injuries in recent weeks due to their gruelling match schedules.
Also, with Lampard’s second-choice striker Michy Batshuayi not in the best of form, Chelsea could do with a finisher who is capable of being on the scoresheet regularly.
The Blues have one more finisher in veteran Olivier Giroud but the Frenchman has fallen out of favour with Lampard and has made just 2 starts and 3 appearances from the bench in the league this season.
Moreover, Lampard’s inclination towards believing in younger players – and Osimhen’s attributes as a footballer – make him a perfect fit for the finisher’s role at Chelsea.
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Verdict
With Tammy being forced to carry out the goalscoring duties single-handedly for Chelsea, Osimhen’s arrival would ease the pressure on both the Englishman and Lampard.
Also, with Chelsea having to play the likes of Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockout stages, a striker of Osimhen’s abilities would be a huge boost.
Hence, Chelsea should make a move for Osimhen as soon as possible.