Former Super Eagles midfielder, Edema Fuludu has said that Victor Osimhen would be putting himself “off the radar” if he eventually accepts to take his football career to the Saudi league at this young age.
Osimhen, who is just 26, has reportedly agreed to personal terms with Al-Hilal, a Saudi Pro League club, and is on the verge of leaving Europe for a high-profile move to the Middle East country.
Reports indicate that Osimhen has accepted the offer, and €5 million gap remains between Napoli and Al-Hilal to finalise the transfer.
To Fuludu, dumping Europe for the Saudi league at this stage of his career has a lot of implications.
“First, I believe Osimhen has a good manager and football agent, who might have weighed the option of leaving Europe for Saudi league,” Fuludu told The Guardian, yesterday. “If he eventually accepts the move to play for the money in the Saudi league, Osimhen should know that he will put himself off the radar. He can no longer aspire to become World Footballer of the Year among other big titles.
“Osimhen is an adult, and he knows what he wants at this stage of his football career. Going to play in the Saudi league is to make money. In the real sense, the bottom line in this game of football is money. But there are other considerations like fame before going for the money, but he has his choice to make,” Fuludu, a former player of Bendel Insurance FC of Benin City, BCC Lions of Gboko, and Julius Berger FC of Lagos, said.
A few days ago, former Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi, strongly advised Osimhen to prioritise a move to the English Premier League over Saudi Arabia, saying that a move to the Middle East is premature for the Super Eagles star.
“I don’t want to see him in Saudi right now because he still has so much to offer in Europe. It would be a shame to see him go there,” Mikel told metro.co.uk.
“So maybe Arsenal, United, Juventus and PSG too (are his options). Let’s see what happens.”
Osimhen, 26, is expected to return to Napoli after a prolific loan spell at Galatasaray, where he scored 37 goals in 41 games, but there are serious transfer pressures from different teams.
As a result of his strained relationship with Napoli, Galatasaray want to keep him, while Al-Hilal are keen to lure him to Saudi Arabia.
Mikel, a former Chelsea star, had hoped to see Osimhen at Stamford Bridge but admits the club has gone in another direction with the signing of Liam Delap.
“Everyone knows that I wanted to see Osimhen come to Chelsea Football Club. It is a shame he didn’t come to Chelsea, the club he supported as a kid growing up,” Mikel said.
THE GUARDIAN
