A window of truce may open between Osimhen and Napoli as Conte praises Lukaku's goal
Napoli might try to patch things up with Victor Osimhen after his failed Al-Ahli and Chelsea transfers, as Romelu Lukaku makes a big decision on his shirt number.
The reports were that Osimhen had been excluded from the Serie A squad list and Lukaku had given his Number 9, which would imply there was no way back for the Nigeria international.
However, while the outcast is not on the list, Lukaku has officially been handed the Number 11 shirt on the Lega Serie A website.
Sky Sport Italia take this to mean there might be at least an attempt to recover the fractured rapport, which descended into shouting matches over the phone on deadline day.
It remains to be seen if the relationship between Osimhen and Napoli can be fixed, as coach Antonio Conte practically never worked with him throughout the summer, everyone assuming he would leave anyway.
Meanwhile, Giovanni Manna, Napoli’s sporting director, recently addressed the media on the situation with Osimhen.
Manna clarified the player’s stance and the club’s response. “The situation has been clear since the end of last year and the beginning of the training camp. Victor expressed his absolute desire not to stay at Napoli and not to play for the club anymore,” Manna explained. Napoli attempted to accommodate Osimhen’s wishes, but the complexities of the transfer market posed challenges. Although a deal seemed imminent, it ultimately did not materialize.
Despite these hurdles, Napoli made significant investments by acquiring Romelu Lukaku and retaining players like Giacomo Raspadori and Giovanni Simeone, which were not guaranteed outcomes. Manna emphasized the club’s commitment to maintaining a consistent approach. “We have kept our line of coherence from the start. Victor expressed his desire not to play for Napoli, and we made other choices,” he reiterated.
Elsewhere, Conte was pleased to have Lukaku rescuing Napoli on his debut against Parma
The Partenopei were trailing for much of the game, even against 10 men when Zion Suzuki was sent off until Lukaku came off the bench to transform their fortunes.
He scored the equaliser by turning a defender with a trademark move, and then David Neres provided the cross for a stoppage-time Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa header to win 2-1.
“When Lukaku scored, I immediately told the lads to get back into midfield and start again quickly, because it was only an equaliser and we needed to keep playing,” Conte told DAZN.
“As you all know, our transfer market was stalled by certain situations,” said Conte about the failure of Victor Osimhen’s negotiations with Al-Ahli and Chelsea.
“We did not just bring in players to build on an existing team, but to fill certain empty slots, and I am happy with the work done by the club.
“If we had been able to sell Osimhen, it would’ve been an even better situation, but what happened cannot be changed and we move on.”
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