The desire to earn more money and the lure of the big time should not be the reasons Victor Osimhen moves in the summer as he may live to regret it, warns former Nigerian midfielder Friday Elahor.
The 1990 African Cup of Nations silver medalist has urged Super Eagles striker Osimhen to prioritise regular playing time above monetary compensations whenever he decides to quit Lille for another European club.
Osimhen has been one of Nigeria’s brightest shining stars in Europe over the past couple of seasons. The youngster left Royal Charleroi last summer after blasting 20 goals for the Belgian Jupiler League side.
He has subsequently thrashed talks of being a one-season wonder by netting another 18 strikes for Les Dogues in his debut season in France.
A 20-goal-a-season striker, the 21-year-old is a rare gem, and it’s no surprise that major clubs are queueing up to snatch away the Nigerian forward from Lille’s grips.
Barcelona and Real Madrid reportedly lead the chase from Spain, while Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea are among the English clubs scrambling for Osimhen’s signature.
Ex-Brondby star Elahor is, however, not impressed by the scurrying for his compatriot, noting that these clubs are attracted to the youngster because they were able to see his quality through his performances.
He cautions that no one will show the U-17 world cup winner any more love should he move to a club where his talent is kept on the bench.
“Osimhen should just keep his head cool and know where he is going,” Elahor told the Guardian.
“He shouldn’t just rush to any club, but rather he should settle down and think of a good club where he can play regularly and not where he would be benched.
“He shouldn’t think about money now because money will come once he starts playing regularly and remain focused.
“I hope he has a good manager that will advise him well on the right decision to take so that he won’t regret like what happened to others in the past.”