Premier League high-flyers Arsenal and Newcastle United remain keen on Victor Osimhen with former Russia coach Leonid Slutsky insisting that Napoli’s Serie A talisman is a more complete centre-forward than Erling Haaland, speaking to the Comment Show on YouTube.
It was a familiar story during Man City’s 2-1 derby defeat at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon. Another game in which Erling Haaland was restricted to spectator status by a deep-lying defence; Luke Shaw, Fred and Raphael Varane marking the suddenly-fallible Norwegian out the game.
Despite plundering 21 goals in 16 Premier League starts since his summer arrival from Borussia Dortmund, some rather probing questions are starting to be asked about world football’s most lethal number nine. For all of Haaland’s penalty-area prowess, has the addition of a somewhat static, old-school goal-poacher made Manchester City, well, predictable?
A team that once had a whole armoury of goalscorers now left carrying a lone bazooka?
For all of Haaland’s outstanding qualities in front of goal, the 22-year-old link-play and his ability to impact the game outside the width of the posts certainly leaves a lot to be desired. While drawing a blank in the last two matches, Haaland touched the ball just 51 times.
According to three-time Russian Premier League winner Slutsky, that is one major reason why Osimhen is a ‘higher-level, long-term player’; Napoli’s Scudetto-chasing hitman possessing a more varied, rounded skillset.
Victor Osimhen or Erling Haaland?
“It is difficult to say who will score more. The leagues are different,” says the one-time Hull City, CSKA Moscow and Russia coach. “In England, it’s probably harder to score in general than in Italy. But Manchester City may be easier to score for than Napoli.
“Osimhen, it seems to me, has a cleaner game. For me, in terms of a set of qualities, he surpasses Haaland.”
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Arsenal remain in hot pursuit of Osimhen. That is despite Eddie Nketiah’s impressive form in the absence of Gabriel Jesus. Saudi-backed Newcastle United are big fans of the rangy Nigeria international too, though Napoli are likely to demand a sizeable profit on the £50 million fee they paid Ligue 1 outfit Lille during the summer of 2020 (The Guardian).
While not quite as prolific as Haaland, Osimhen still has 13 goals in 17 games for Serie A pacesetters Napoli; dovetailing to devastating effect with Kvicha Kvaratskhelia as Luciano Spalletti’s side thrashed Juventus 5-1 on Friday.
Napoli are now nine points clear of second-place AC Milan. A first Serie A title since the heady days of Diego Maradona is almost tantalisingly close.
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