"I spoke to him, and I can feel the pain in his voice" - Former Manchester United striker comments on Victor Osimhen's failed Chelsea move

Former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo has stepped up in defence of his Napoli forward Victor Osimhen following the collapse of his potential move to Chelsea. Ighalo expressed dismay over the way Nigerians have responded to Osimhen’s situation, emphasising the emotional toll on the young striker.

Osimhen has found himself in a turbulent phase after being sidelined from the first team. The fallout stems from his failed transfer to Chelsea, which many saw as a pivotal move for the Nigerian international's career.

This development has not only affected Osimhen's professional journey but has also subjected him to public scrutiny and backlash, particularly from fellow Nigerians.

On X (formerly Twitter), Ighalo lamented the harsh judgments directed at Osimhen, urging his compatriots to be more empathetic and supportive.

''No human being is perfect, and we have all made mistakes in life, but seeing comments about this young man from his own country people makes me really sad, without even knowing what happened.

"I spoke to him, and I can feel the pain in his voice, the way he's been treated. This young man play with heart and pains for his country, Hmmm it's well. He will definitely be back stronger. We learn every day in life. Happy New Month to y'all’’

It's unclear what the immediate future holds for Victor Osimhen, as Napoli new boss Antonio Conte has said he won’t reintegrate players who are out of the club’s project.

Victor Osimhen joined Napoli from LOSC Lille in 2020. He played a crucial role in their 2022-23 campaign as they won their first Scudetto in more than three decades.

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Fabrizio Romano provides update on how Victor Osimhen transfer saga unfolded

After Chelsea's move for Victor Osimhen fell through on deadline day, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has explained how the transfer saga unfolded.

Romano said in his Daily Briefing Column (via Football 365) that Al-Ahli were also in the fray for Osimhen on Friday, but the deal collapsed due to Napoli 'changing' some of the 'details of the deal'.

“Victor Osimhen is staying at Napoli after a completely crazy final 24-48 hours of the summer transfer window. On Friday morning, Saudi club Al Ahli were 80% convinced that they were going to sign Osimhen.

"There was an agreement between Al-Ahli and Napoli, and negotiations with the player."

He explained that Blues representatives were in Italy to reach an agreement with the player:

“Then, Napoli started changing some of the details of the deal, and Al Ahli decided to call Ivan Toney instead, telling him he could come for a medical.

"At that point, the Osimhen deal was on total stand-by, meaning that for Osimhen it was pretty much Chelsea or nothing. A Chelsea delegation had been in Italy trying to reach an agreement with Osimhen – they spent a long time working to reach an agreement with the player.

However, the player's salary demand wasn't met despite multiple rounds of discussions as he added:

“There were several add-ons and bonuses to make their proposal higher, whilst keeping in line with Financial Fair Play, but their proposal still wasn’t close to the €11-12m net salary of Osimhen at Napoli. I think in the end Chelsea made five or six proposals, and one final one at 10pm, but again it was not even close, and so the deal collapsed.

Romano noted that the Blues were 'confident' of snapping up the player, but Victor Osimhen rejected their proposal.

“The final crucial point is that Osimhen is now out of the Napoli project for this season. This was the Osimhen case, with Chelsea trying until the end, and at one point confident about getting the deal done because Napoli had no other option to sell to, but in the end Osimhen said no to their contract proposal.

The striker is now set to be out of action till January unless interest from Saudi Arabia emerges in the next few days.