Victor Osimhen, the Super Eagles striker, has alleged that he was treated poorly, describing his time at Napoli as being “treated like a dog.”
Osimhen stated this when asked about his relationship with Napoli’s president Aurelio De Laurentiis before the club released a video mocking him on TikTok for missing a penalty against Bologna in the past.
According to the Galatasaray star, Napoli tried to send him everywhere after his fallout with the Serie A club.
“We had a gentleman’s agreement that I could leave the following summer, but the other side didn’t fully fulfill that commitment,” Osimhen told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“They tried to send me everywhere, they treated me like a dog. Go here, go there, do this, do that.
“I worked so hard for my career, I could not accept that kind of treatment. I’m not a puppet.”
This is ahead of Galatasaray’s UEFA Champions League Round of 16 playoff first leg tie on Tuesday.
Rasmus Hojlund delivered a match-winning brace as Napoli defeated Juventus 2-1, handing Luciano Spalletti his first loss as Bianconeri boss and spoiling his long-awaited return to the Stadio Maradona.
The encounter marked Spalletti’s first visit to Naples since his 2023 Scudetto triumph and his first managerial clash with Antonio Conte, adding extra weight to an already high-stakes Serie A fixture.
Injury troubles hit both camps
Both teams entered the match with extensive injury lists. Juventus were without Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Gatti following surgery, as well as Gleison Bremer, Daniele Rugani, and Arek Milik.
Kenan Yildiz led the line, with Weston McKennie pushed into a more advanced role.
Napoli were similarly depleted, missing Stanislav Lobotka, Billy Gilmour, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Miguel Gutierrez, Kevin De Bruyne, Alex Meret, and Romelu Lukaku, prompting Eljif Elmas to step into midfield.
Rasmus Hojlund bagged double in the encounter – Getty image
Hojlund strikes early
Napoli started aggressively. After Scott McTominay glanced a header wide, David Neres once again carved open the Juventus defence, beating Juan Cabal and Teun Koopmeiners before cutting back for Hojlund to stab home from close range, his first goal in two months.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo came close to doubling the lead with a looping header that forced Michele Di Gregorio into an acrobatic save.
Juventus struggle to create
Spalletti’s side found chances hard to come by. Yildiz twice broke down the left to create openings, while McTominay’s set-piece threat continued as another header grazed the post on the stroke of halftime.
With Juventus posting an xG of just 0.04 in the opening period, Spalletti introduced Jonathan David after the break to spark the attack.
Yildiz equaliser against the run of play
Napoli remained dominant, with Hojlund forcing another save from Di Gregorio and tensions rising following Pierre Kalulu’s studs-up challenge on Matias Olivera.
But Juventus struck from nothing. Yildiz surged forward on the counter, exchanged a neat one-two with McKennie, and curled a precise finish across Vanja Milinkovic-Savic for Juve’s first shot on target, and the equaliser.
Hojlund restores the advantage
Napoli responded almost immediately. A David Neres cross caused chaos at the back post, where McKennie inadvertently cushioned the ball into Hojlund’s path.
The striker reacted quickly, heading in from close range to reclaim the lead.
Juventus chased a late equaliser, but Edon Zhegrova’s stoppage-time effort was straight at Milinkovic-Savic, confirming a valuable win for Conte’s men.
Spalletti’s run of four wins and three draws ends in the city that defined his legacy, while Napoli strengthened their early title credentials.
Napoli claimed their first Champions League victory of the season with a 2-1 win over Sporting on Tuesday night, thanks to a brace from Rasmus Hojlund.
The Danish striker twice combined with Kevin De Bruyne to secure three crucial points for Antonio Conte’s side.
Hojlund strikes after De Bruyne assist
Sporting started brightly, dominating early possession and restricting Napoli’s movement in the opening exchanges.
But the home side gradually grew into the contest, and midway through the first half De Bruyne split the defence with a perfectly weighted through ball for Hojlund, who calmly slotted past Rui Silva to make it 1-0.
The goal lifted Napoli, who created further chances before the break, while Sporting were fortunate not to concede a second before half-time.
Sporting fight back before late blow
The Portuguese visitors were handed a lifeline early in the second half when Matteo Politano was penalised for a foul inside the box.
Substitute Luis Suárez stepped up and converted the penalty to level the game at 1-1, leaving Napoli momentarily stunned.
Conte responded with changes, introducing Noa Lang and David Neres to inject fresh energy into the attack.
With ten minutes left, De Bruyne delivered again, this time from a corner, as Hojlund rose highest to head home his second of the night.
Despite Sporting’s late pressure, Napoli held their grounds to secure the win.
Enzo Maresca, the Chelsea manager, has said the club will only buy players who accept their conditions.
Maresca was speaking to the media about their failure to get a striker in the summer transfer window.
The Blues were in talks for Napoli’s Victor Osimhen until deadline day.
The transfer did not happen eventually, with multiple reports claiming Osimhen was not willing to accept a pay cut.
Maresca was only able to bring in Marc Guiu, a teenage striker from Barcelona and has Nicolas Jackson as his first-choice striker.
After the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday, Maresca said: “We want players, but we wanted a player that we decide it has to be on our conditions.
Odion Ighalo, a former Super Eagles striker, has hit out at Nigerians over their comments on social media, after Victor Osimhen failed to seal a move away from Napoli.
Osimhen has been frozen out at the Serie A club following the collapse of transfer talks with Chelsea.
The situation led to mixed reactions from fans on the Internet, with many criticizing the player and his entourage.
But Ighalo wrote on X on Sunday morning: “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 everyday in life. Happy New Month to y’all.”
Napoli has confirmed that Victor Osimhen will not be returning to their first-team squad.
This follows the breakdown of transfer negotiations between interested clubs.
Napoli’s director, Mauro Manna, revealed that Osimhen decided not to play for the club anymore last year.
“Osimhen decided not to play for our club anymore last year,” Manna stated. “We tried to help, but the deal didn’t happen. The plan on both sides remains to part ways.”
Manager Antonio Conte echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that there are no plans to reintegrate Osimhen into the squad.
“No player will be reintegrated,” Conte asserted. “Those who are out of the project will remain out. We made our choices and work in one direction all together.”
GistReel Sport reported that Osimhen, who was expected to leave Napoli on Deadline Day, saw moves to both Chelsea and Al Ahli collapse at the last minute.
Chelsea delegates were reportedly in Naples until the final moments of the transfer window, but a deal could not be reached.
Meanwhile, Al Ahli opted to sign Ivan Toney from Brentford, despite initially agreeing to buy Osimhen.
With the transfer window now closed, Osimhen remains at Napoli, but his future with the club appears bleak.
The Nigerian striker no longer features on the club’s official website, and his shirt number has already been handed to new signing Romelu Lukaku.
Chelsea are not prepared to offer contracts exceeding £70,000 per week to new players.
According to Sky Sports transfer chief, Kaveh Solhekol, the club is not interested in signing players who demand £200,000-a-week or £300,000-a-week contracts.
With Enzo Maresca looking to add a striker to his squad, Chelsea have been linked with Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney of Brentford.
But it now appears the deal for Toney would be easier to do, as Osimhen is reluctant to take a pay cut.
According to Solhekol,“the average wage of their new signing is between £60,000-a-week and £70,000-a-week.
“That is the base wage before you add in bonuses.
“I think there is a feeling that Ivan Toney is willing to fit into that wage structure. Also, he’s coming from a club like Brentford who are not famed for paying massive wages.”
