Victor Osimhen to Chelsea: the big transaction that never happened. However, it is still possible.
The 25-year-old striker has joined Galatasaray on a season-long loan, but it is known that the contract has a break option that will become operative during the January transfer window. Osimhen was Chelsea’s number one striker target throughout the summer, with the exception of football.London understands they were unable to persuade the Nigeria international to drop his salary expectations to accommodate the club’s tight compensation structure.
Osimhen’s relationship with Napoli deteriorated in the final stages of the summer window, prompting him to go to Turkey for the season. However, there is a strong sense that the Nigerian still has bigger goals, which makes sense given the break provision in his contract.
There is every chance Chelsea will make a play for Osimhen when the summer transfer window opens next year. However, the Blues must evaluate numerous factors before moving forward with a move for the brilliant African centre-forward.
The Jackson walkway
Nicolas Jackson has started the season strongly for Chelsea, scoring in two of the first three Premier League games. Despite missing two good opportunities in the closing minutes of the draw with Crystal Palace, in which he opened the score in the first half, the Senegal international has had a promising start.
Last season, in his first season in England, the 23-year-old striker scored 17 goals in all competitions for the Blues. According to football.london, Chelsea are incredibly delighted with Jackson’s improvement since signing him for £30 million in 2023, and they are near to agreeing on a new contract with the striker.
READ MORE: Clearlake Capital’s Chelsea stance is absolutely apparent, with Todd Boehly’s two alternatives explained.
READ MORE: Chelsea Victor Osimhen saga took a significant twist on transfer deadline day as January forecast was made.
Signing someone like Osimhen, however, will surely obstruct Jackson’s path with the team. While he has a tendency to miss big chances for Chelsea, Jackson can argue that 19 goals in 48 appearances is very excellent going – and that the club does not need to spend a lot of money to buy someone else.
Felix’s scheme
Joao Felix returned to the club last month, this time on a permanent basis. After spending the second half of the 2022/23 season on loan with the Blues, the Portugal international has now joined the club on a permanent basis from Atletico Madrid.
Felix, who has appeared twice for Chelsea since his return to Stamford Bridge, can play in a variety of front-line positions. Football.London understands Enzo Maresca like attacking players who are incredibly adaptable, and the club’s summer transfer policy reflects this.
We don’t know where Maresca sees Felix in the long run for Chelsea, or whether he’ll play him in multiple places on a game-by-game basis. Felix, like Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer, can play at No.9.
If Felix performs well in this role, Chelsea may be tempted to save money on Osimhen and continue with what they already have. Because they have an incredible number of excellent attackers ready to go.
Osimhen’s Decision
The last thing to consider is the compensation structure. In the summer, the club was quite careful about not exceeding the limit it set for itself internally. Chelsea chose not to pursue a deal to capture Michael Olise from Crystal Palace for this very reason.
Chelsea eventually backed out of the Osimhen negotiations after many hours of attempting to strike an agreement on deadline day. And if Osimhen is unwilling to adjust his wage expectations to match what Chelsea wants, the Blues should either seek elsewhere or continue with what they have.
It irritated supporters, understandably, because no matter whose side you support, you want to watch the finest players play for your club. However, football is a business in this day and age, and if Chelsea’s executives decided it was not financially feasible to sign Osimhen, they made the perfect decision by sticking to their guns.
