Arne Slot is looking to add further quality this summer.placeholder image
Arne Slot is looking to add further quality this summer. | Getty Images
Liverpool have been linked with Victor Osimhen with one Premier League defender’s comments being a tantalising prospect.
One of the things about modern football that hasn’t changed is that clubs will still use their players to sound out potential targets on international duty, and Liverpool will be no different.
Managers and members of the recruitment team will ask what a player’s personality is like behind the scenes in terms of how they are with teammates and in training, as well as off the pitch.
It is an aspect of recruitment that Richard Hughes should pay attention to, although in the case of Victor Osimhen it isn’t because of a player with a Liverpool connection.
Liverpool target Victor Osimhen branded a “joke”
Being a proven goalscorer and title winner in various countries will do that for a No.9.
Talking from experience, Fulham’s player of the year Calvin Bassey is used to handling the best of the Premier League but in 2023 gave a fascinating insight into fellow Super Eagles teammate Osimhen.
“He is a joke — the only striker I know who can run a back line by himself,” Bassey told The Athletic.
“He can run in behind, he can head, finish, he can do everything. The Prem would suit him. Hopefully, he comes at some point but I’d rather have him in my team than against him!”
This is coming from a player who has to deal with Osimhen in training on international duty and who played against him for Ajax in the Champions League.
Not many players give Bassey the run around due to his sheer physicality and pace, and yet, Osimhen is clearly a handful for any defender.
How much do Napoli want for Osimhen?
Liverpool need a No.9 who can be as physical and aggressive as Darwin Nunez who is reported to be leaving Anfield, but who is also more intelligent with their link up play and finishing, both of which Osimhen is better at than the Uruguayan.
Napoli are said to be demanding a fee in the region of £63m for the 26-year old whose longest injury enforced absence since he was a teenager was due to a fractured cheekbone when he sat out just over a month.
Osimhen’s ability to score goals in a top league isn’t up for debate, nor is his ability to handle pressure or physical defenders. Liverpool’s biggest question that they need to answer is what striker fits the profile of player that they want the most?
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