It Was His Decision Not to Play for Us Again” – Napoli Chief Blames Victor Osimhen After Excluding Him from First Team Following Failed Transfers
Napoli sporting director, Giovanni Manna, has placed the blame on Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen for the ongoing tension between him and the club, stating that it was Osimhen’s decision not to play for Napoli again.
Osimhen was linked with moves to Premier League club Chelsea and Saudi club Al Ahli, but both deals fell through in dramatic fashion on transfer deadline day. Chelsea opted to sign Jason Sancho, while Al Ahli went for the less expensive Ivan Toney instead.
After the transfer window closed on August 31, Osimhen was left out of Napoli’s Serie A squad and stripped of his number 9 shirt, which was given to new Napoli signing Romelu Lukaku.
Manna, however, insists that Osimhen is to blame for the situation.
“The situation is very clear, it has been since the end of last season. Victor expressed his absolute desire to not stay at Napoli, to not play for Napoli, and we tried to make him happy,” Manna told DAZN.
“There is a demand and an offer; we thought we had completed the negotiations, but then it did not go through. We bought Lukaku, kept Raspadori and Simeone, which was not guaranteed.
“At this moment, we are maintaining the same consistency we had from the start: he expressed the desire to no longer play for Napoli, so we made other choices.”
Manna also addressed the possibility of Osimhen joining another Saudi club.
“The transfer market is still open, there are many options, but I don’t think Victor will go to Saudi Arabia in this transfer session,” Manna added.
Osimhen’s situation is a significant financial burden on the club, as his sale was expected to generate funds for new transfers.
“Our plans were clear from the start. We were waiting to sell Victor to finance these operations, but the sale did not happen. The President took on the responsibility to invest and restart. He took on all the risk, and he was incredible.”