Victor Osimhen warming up for Napoli [Photo credit/IMAGO]
Former Napoli head coach Francesco Calzona has revealed the only flaw stopping Victor Osimhen from reaching his full potential, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 26-year-old recently completed a €75m deal to Turkish Super Lig giants, Galatasaray, penning a four-year deal after spending the last year on loan at RAMS Park.
Calzona took over from Walter Mazzarri during the 2023/2024 season in what was a tumultuos campaign for Napoli. Prior to Mazzarri’s appointment, Rudi Garcia was in charge of the Serie A giants, but he was fired due to poor results.
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Calzona managed Osimhen and his Napoli teammates between February 2024 and May 2024 whilst doubling as Slovakia’s head coach. The team finished 10th in the Serie A that year.
What Calzona said about Osimhen
The Super Eagles star is well known for airing his grievances on the pitch when things don’t go his way.
While that attitude is respectable since he’s a fighter, Calzona mentioned that the Galatasaray man should sometimes eat the humble pie when he’s being criticized.
“Victor is a great player with extraordinary qualities, especially on a physical level, but he needs to understand that playing for a big club also means facing criticism at times for his performances,” the 56-year-old said in quotes revealed by Calcio Napoli.
“He has to improve in that regard. He needs to understand that criticism can be constructive and help fix weaknesses.
“Right now, this is still a challenge for him. I believe that’s his main flaw: accepting criticism during moments when we’re not at our best, especially in a place like Naples.
“There, Osimhen was wildly loved by the fans, and the club also took great care of him, but he needs to manage the tough moments better,” Calzona concluded.
Osimhen scored 37 goals and provided seven assists in 41 games in his first Galatasaray stint, and he’ll be hoping to produce better numbers with the Cim Bom Aslan in the 2025/2026 campaign.
Adefolahan Guerreiro
Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria.
With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience.
He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.