‘He ran too much’ — Napoli scout reveals how they almost rejected Osimhen

Victor Osimhen has gone on to make an indelible mark in Napoli’s history, however, the circumstances that led to his signing were fortuitous.

Napoli ex-head scout Leonardo Mantovani, who was responsible for identifying Victor Osimhen, recently revealed that he initially thought the Nigerian did not fit their specific striker needs.

Osimhen joined Napoli in a high-profile but controversial move from French side Lille for a mouth-watering €77 million fee.

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While he is currently at loggerheads with the club’s leadership and, hence, on loan at Galatasaray, the Nigerian has cemented himself as one of the greatest players in Partenopei history after leading them to their first Scudetto title in 33 years.

Interestingly, the circumstances that led to his move for Naples were serendipitous, as he was not the target of the scouting that placed him on Napoli’s radar.

What Mantovani said

In an interview with Radio Napoli Centrale, Mantovani explained that he travelled to watch Ajax in a UCL clash against Lille as their full-backs, Noussair Mazraoui and Nicolas Tagliafico, interested them; however, he could not help but notice the incredible talents of Osimhen.

Victor Osimhen in action for Napoli || Image credit: Imago

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“I happened to see him in a Champions League match between Ajax and Lille. But, in reality, we were there to observe Ajax’s full-backs, Mazraoui on the right and Tagliafico on the left,” he told the radio station.

“When I got back, I made my report on the game and noted that there were two other strong players: one was Soumare, a midfielder, and the other was Osimhen. This striker who ran a lot, covering the entire area—maybe he even ran too much (he laughs). But he was truly unstoppable.”

Mantovani initially deemed Osimhen unfit for how they played. However, he eventually circled back for the Nigerian; after then, manager Gernaro Gattuso’s play style required a fast centre-forward who could exploit space.

“The full-backs were strong, but I also noted that Osimhen wasn’t the player who fit our needs at that time.”

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