Victor Osimhen to Arsenal only makes sense if £64m player is sold
Victor Osimhen’s name has emerged during talks between Arsenal and Galatasaray.
The Super Lig champions have this week lodged a €45million bid for Gabriel Martinelli, with Andrea Berta actively leaning on his contacts in Turkey.
Galatasaray have also reportedly been in discussions over a potential move for Ethan Nwaneri, but a move for Martinelli is at a more advanced stage.
Leandro Trossard was also sold to Turkey earlier this summer, completing a £17million move to Besiktas.
Christos Tzolis has been signed as a replacement for the Belgian, but Mikel Arteta is keen on bringing in another attacker — one which will raise the level.
That could well be Osimhen, who Arsenal have held long-time interest in.
It’s unclear what finances it would take to bring the Nigerian striker to the Emirates, but purely from a footballing perspective, it makes undeniable sense.
With Julian Alvarez having his heart set on a move to Barcelona, Osimhen is the next best centre-forward on the market, albeit a much different profile.
He is much more in the Viktor Gyokeres mould, suggesting that a move would only make sense if the Swede is sold first.
Arsenal must sell Viktor Gyokeres to enable a move for Victor Osimhen
Osimhen and Gyokeres are both traditional, powerful No. 9s who want to be the main striker and the main focus of the attack.
Neither is naturally suited to playing as a second striker, and neither has the same tendency to drop deep like Kai Havertz or Gabriel Jesus.
Having one or the other makes sense, and given that Osimhen’s style is similar to Gyokeres’ — just quicker, stronger, and better — you’d surely prefer the Nigerian.
Plus, keeping the squad happy and the wages under control will be a big area of focus. Osimhen would expect to be one of the highest-paid players at the club and would want to start the biggest Premier League and Champions League games.
Gyokeres arrived as the marquee signing last summer and wouldn’t want to spend most of his time sitting on the bench. But he’s probably not even above Havertz in the pecking order, let alone Osimhen.
Trying to keep both players happy would be difficult. One of them would regularly have to miss out, which could lead to frustration in the dressing room.
On top of that, paying two top-level strikers huge wages would be a lot of money to spend on one position.
If Arteta and Berta really are intent on bringing Osimhen to North London, it should be as a replacement.
Perhaps Berta can engineer a swap deal or find a suitor elsewhere that’s willing to take Gyokeres off Arsenal’s hands.