Gallas asks Chelsea to invest in Jackson and snub Osimhen as Eagles striker contract talks with Napoli stall
Former Chelsea defender William Gallas has advised the club to invest in Nicolas Jackson instead of signing Super Eagles and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
He told Lord Ping: "Victor Osimhen joining Chelsea would harm the confidence of players like Nicolas Jackson. You have to be careful and really think about bringing in a new striker. As I said before, I think Chelsea should finish the season with Jackson and see how many goals he gets.
"We also need to see how he improves. He has the quality to do so. Chelsea need to let Jackson get to work. Scoring goals will always boost the confidence of a striker, and Jackson's hat-trick against Tottenham will definitely boost him, and we'll see that confidence carry over into his next games.
"Chelsea need a striker who'll score at least 20 goals a season. I don't know if Jackson will do that, but at least he's scoring. I hope more goals come for him. I think Chelsea should stick with the squad they have. They've bought so many players, and the squad needs to get to know each other.
"It's looking like Chelsea are slowly starting to improve. I said a few months ago that the Chelsea squad isn't ready to fight for the title or qualify for the Champions League. They will, however, improve from last season. I'm sure that they'll be very strong next season and the one after."
Meanwhile, Osimhen has arrived back in Napoli after a break in Nigeria, the clubs that are interested in his services will be waiting on his next move.
The prolific hit-man has managed to avoid much of the media spotlight over the past couple of weeks, though this is sure to intensify once again, particularly in the lead-up to the January transfer window.
Calciomercato noted at the start of November that Chelsea had made him their top target, but once it’s known whether he wants to leave the Partnopei or not, other clubs will surely make their move if appropriate.
They will likely have been given encouragement that they’re in with a chance of landing him given that his Napoli contract remains unsigned.
‘We know that many clubs have Osimhen on their list. He’s an important, top striker that’s injured at the moment but back in Napoli after spending some time in Nigeria,’ Fabrizio Romano wrote in his exclusive Daily Briefing.
‘From what I’m hearing guys, at the moment, at the beginning of November, there is still no agreement between Napoli and Osimhen.
‘[…] The contract is still far from being done and so the feeling is that Victor Osimhen could leave in the 2024 summer transfer window.’
Osimhen’s reticence to signing his contract could be interpreted in one of two ways.
It’s either a game of brinksmanship on his part to extract more money out of his current club before putting pen to paper, or he will leave at the end of the season.
Either way, more clarity on his thought process would be helpful for everyone involved in the situation, given that it would mean the clubs and players themselves
can plan accordingly.
