September 1st 2024.
The manager of Napoli, Antonio Conte, who previously worked for Chelsea, has made it clear to Victor Osimhen that he will not be allowed to rejoin the first-team after his failed transfer to Chelsea. The London club had been eager to sign Osimhen before the summer transfer window closed, but their efforts were in vain as they were unable to match the player's current salary or the offer he received from Saudi club Al Ahli. Despite making a contract offer to the Nigerian, Osimhen turned it down and ended talks with the frustrated Premier League club.
As a result, Osimhen remains a Napoli player for now, but Conte has not changed his stance and has no plans to include him in the future. This was evident when Osimhen was left out of Napoli's recent Serie A victory over Parma and his No. 9 shirt was given to their new signing, Romelu Lukaku, who scored in his debut just days after joining from Chelsea.
After the game, Conte was asked about Napoli's activity in the summer transfer window, and he expressed his satisfaction with the additions of Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour from the Premier League. He said, "Strong players have arrived from a difficult and sometimes blocked market. They came to fill the slots, and I am happy with the work done by the club."
However, Conte couldn't resist taking a dig at Osimhen when he added, "Of course, if Osimhen had been sold, we would have completed the situation better." These comments came as Napoli informed Osimhen that he will not be welcomed back into the squad, which may push him to consider a move to Saudi Arabia, something he had reservations about earlier in the summer. However, it is uncertain whether Al Ahli will still be interested in signing Osimhen after completing a deal for England striker Ivan Toney on deadline day.
In the meantime, Conte praised his Napoli players for their impressive comeback against Parma, where they scored two injury-time goals to secure the win. He said, "It was a performance of heart against an excellent team with good players who press well. We could have done much better, but we will take these three points and continue to work towards improvement."
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