The Nigerian international is now being mentioned among the game’s finest following his spectacular season in Italy
Former Napoli fullback Faouzi Ghoulam has made some interesting remarks about Victor Osimhen’s status as a striker in Europe.
Despite being convinced of Osinhen’s qualities as an elite forward, Ghoulam believes the Super Eagles forward is not yet at the level of Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
Speaking to Dazn during the broadcast ‘Tutti Bravi dal Sofa’ (as per Tutto Napoli), Ghoulam was asked to rank the best strikers in Europe and where he would place Osimhen.
“It depends,” the Algerian defender says.” “Today, the best striker is Benzema, but then there’s Haaland, who is scoring a lot of goals. He’s a phenomenon in the penalty area.”
When asked about Osimhen’s skills as a striker, Ghoulam had some praise for the Nigerian but also pointed out some areas where he could improve.
“Osimhen is a modern striker: he attacks depth very well, has a strong header, and holds the ball well,” Ghoulam said. “He still lacks a bit of coolness, and he’s a bit too spontaneous.”
Ghoulam is not surprised that Osimhen is excelling at Napoli after overcoming his initial struggles at the club.
The Angers fullback noted: “He’s always been like this. The only thing is that he always had bad injuries, and last year Mertens had to play in his place without having done any preparation due to shoulder surgery. We were a bit unlucky in this.”
Current Napoli players, the club’s management, and fans are lucky that Osimhen is still at the club as the 24-year-old’s goals are firing the club towards a first Serie A trophy since 1990.