Former Super Eagles’ captain, John Mikel Obi has come out with a down-to-earth verdict that the English Premier League duo of Arsenal and Chelsea can win a haul of trophies next season if they buy Galatasaray of Turkey’s in-form striker, Victor James Osimhen.
Sports247 reports that Mikel is of a strong view that his former club, Chelsea, as well as their fellow-London-based rivals, Arsenal, can both reclaim lost glory in England and Europe if they can get Osimhen during the upcoming summer transfer window.
Mikel’s verdict came few hours before Osimhen was on fire again this Saturday in the Turkish Super Lig, as he fired home two first-half goals in Galatasaray’s 4-1 victory over visiting Sivasspor, thereby taking his total haul for the season to 32 sizzlers.
That means Osimhen has surpassed his previous total season haul of 31 goals, which he garnered during his days at SSC Napoli, who he helped win the Italian Serie A title for the first time in 32 years.
With the former Ultimate Strikers of Lagos, VfL Wolfsburg of Germany, Sporting Charleroi of Belgium and Lille Metropole of France hitman now set to also help Galatasaray clinch the Turkish title in his first season with the Istanbul-based side, Mikel believes Arsenal and Chelsea could gain the same fortune if they have the 2023 African Footballer of The Year in their squads.
Mikel, though, posited that he will not press the issue any further with Chelsea, as The Blues’ top shots do not appear to be keen on a deal for Nigeria’s second highest goals scorer ever, but he believes Arsenal could be the ones to gain from the lad’s lethal ability.
The Nigerian ex-international and Rio 2016 Olympics bronze medalist declared: “If Victor Osimhen was in this Arsenal side, I promise you, not just because I know the kid, they will win trophies.
He’s doing amazing things. He did it with Napoli, and he’s doing it again this season. He’s not a fluke. He’s that good in terms of goal scoring. He will get you to the top of the table, and that’s where teams want to be.”
While reflecting on Arsenal’s 1-0 loss at home to Paris-Saint Germaine of France in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final fixture this past Tuesday, as they failed to equalise after the visitors shot into a very early lead, Mikel reckoned that having Osimhen in that squad would have made a world of difference for The Gunners.
He added, “Victor in this Arseal squad? He doesn’t need to do much, because the other players will create chances for him. Odergaard will create chances, Saka will create chances, Martinelli will create chances.
“He will just be Arsenal’s finisher, which is what he does best … score goals, put the ball in the back of the net. That’s what he’s doing so well now in Turkey. Galatasaray are up there because he keeps scoring goals, and he keeps creating chances.”
Mikel, who was fondly called ‘The Catalyst’ during his playing days as a sedentry holding midfielder, concluded by lamenting how Chelsea have again passed up the opportunity of signing Osimhen this summer, thereby missing out on the youngster’s remarkable flare that is being enjoyed by Gala.
“Galatasaray are up there because of him, fighting off Fernebahce. That’s what he does; he gets his team right up there at the top of the league. He can do the same for Arsenal.
“My club too could gain a lot from having him in our team. I’ve tried to push the idea to them, but they do not appear to be interested. With Cole Palmer there, Osimhen could help us win trophies. But it’s not just about Osimhen. If they don’t want him, they just have to get a top striker this summer,” Mikel stressed.
