Super Eagles and Napoli star Victor Osimhen thanked Gennaro Gattuso and Luciano Spalletti for his development and underlined his excitement for the upcoming Scudetto party.
The 24-year-old Nigerian has grown into one of the premier strikers in Europe and has been a talismanic figure for the Partenopei this season, scoring 21 goals and providing five assists in 23 Serie A appearances.
Napoli are only weeks away from winning their first Scudetto in over three decades and the city is expected to take on a carnival atmosphere when the title in confirmed, setting up exciting but unpredictable scenes in the Campania capital.
Speaking to France Football, Osimhen first discussed his development as a striker and the work of Gattuso and Spalletti.
“I owe a lot to Gennaro Gattuso because he worked on my motivation and the enhancement of my self-esteem, but with Spalletti my growth has been greater because of the work done over the months.
“Spalletti always asked me to be explosive, to be like dynamite for opposing defences. An assessment has been made of my running, the distances I have to keep from defenders and how I have to react to assists.
“There are five metres I can cover faster than the others, I have to stay in that distance.”
The Nigerian then looked ahead to the team’s imminent Scudetto success and the party that’ll follow.
“I could only listen to the stories of the previous Scudetto celebrations. I’m curious to find out what the Neapolitans will organise. It is an honour for me to play in Naples, where Maradona played.
“I want to win this Scudetto to see the joy on the fans’ faces, I can’t wait to see that celebration. It will be exciting.”
Osimhen is contracted to Napoli until June 2025 and will likely be one of the top targets in this summer’s transfer window. Club president Aurelio De Laurentiis is notoriously a tough negotiator and will want more than €100m for the 24-year-old.
