TRANSFER MARKET
Points of Interest as Napoli’s coach apologises to Victor Osimhen
Napoli manager Antonio Conte has apologised to striker Victor Osimhen over the treatment meted to the player by the club during the summer transfer window.
Conte froze the striker out of the Napoli squad, forcing him to seek top football elsewhere as he joins Turkish club Galatasaray on loan.
The tactician admitted that a lot happened during the transfer window, which was impacted by unresolved issues between Osimhen and the club.
He believes the striker’s transfer should have been sealed earlier as offers from several clubs eventually collapsed.
The Nigerian footballer has since moved on as he will now play in the Turkish Pro League, but Conte seems disappointed.
The manager has since apologised to the forward but emphasised that the club has to maintain its rules, as per The Cult Calcio
- Unresolved issues:
The Italian manager believes certain issues hindered the striker’s transfer process. He said:
“Some issues blocked it; perhaps if we had unlocked that [Osimhen] situation, we would have completed the team differently and earlier.”
- Osimhen’s Impact:
Conte attested to Osimhen’s talent, suggesting that such a player should not have issues moving to another club
“Perhaps if we had unlocked that [Osimhen] situation, we would have completed the team differently and earlier.”
- Regret for Missed Opportunities:
The former Chelsea manager expressed regret that the unresolved circumstances prevented the club from monetizing effectively.
“I’m sorry for the club that didn’t monetize.”
- Personal Disappointment:
After freezing Osimhen out of the squad, the manager seems disappointed in such action.
“I am sorry for myself because we didn’t complete the team as we wanted.”
- Club’s Consistency:
Despite the challenges, Conte hailed the club’s processes.
“The club proved to be consistent in this situation.”
- Team’s Coherence:
Conte stated that maintaining coherence and respecting the rules was essential as he applauded the club’s decision.
“Coherence is the starting point when it comes to respecting the rules. The club proved consistent, so I praise them for this attitude.”
– Tuko.co.ke
There are strong indications that Super Eagles and AC Milan winger, Samuel Chukwueze, could exit the Guiseppe Meazza this summer following interest from Turkish Super Lïg side, Besiktas JK.
The 25-year-old joined the Rossonerri from Villarreal in the summer of 2023 but has never really settled in at Milan as he’s largely been a bit part player at the San Siro.
The AFCON 2023 silver medal winner with Nigeria has played paltry 82 minutes since the new manager, Sergio Conceicao, took over as Milan’s head coach, worsening his story with the seven-time UEFA Champions League winners.
According to Europa Calcio, Chukwueze’s future seems increasingly distant from Milan. The player’s agents have suggested him to Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s side, Besiktas, who have immediately started contacts to bring him to the Turkish Süper Lig.
The 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup winner was linked with a move to Alex Iwobi’s Fulham in January, but time disparity in the transfer market didn’t allow the move to materialize.
Additionally, Milan’s technical director, Geoffrey Moncada, revealed his side were delighted the Super Eagles winger didn’t make a deadline-day transfer to Fulham.
The former Manchester United boss has given the green light to the deal, as he considers Chukwueze to be a valuable reinforcement in the attacking department.
The Turkish club are currently working on a loan-with-obligation-to-buy proposal, and are hopeful their strategy will convince Milan, who intend on recuperating the fees to secure Chukwueze from Villareal two years ago.
Chukwueze on the other hand, is seriously considering a move to Besiktas as he’s aware that he is not part of Milan’s long-term plans. With few opportunities under Sergio Conceicao, the former Villarreal player could accept the Turkish destination to re-establish himself.
Additionally, one of Chukwueze’s best friends, Victor Osimhen, has had nothing but good things to say about the Turkish Super Lig as he enjoys his loan spell with Galatasaray.
In conclusion, a move away from Milan would be a win-win situation for all parties, allowing the Rossoneri to free up space in the squad and for the player to regain the form which saw the Italian side snap him up initially.
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TRANSFER MARKET
Man Utd sign two and lose 10 players as disastrous window for Ruben Amorim slams shut
In spite of their awful season, Manchester United have offloaded 10 players, including Marcus Rashford, on loan while making just two new signings as the winter transfer market closed on Monday night.
The once-great team now sits 13th on the log of the Premier League table and the graph tends to slope downward rather than looking upward as the season progresses.
Any thought of European football next season is more of a mirage. Some more signings would potentially have gone a long way to getting them back on track.
Attacking recruits in particular would have been very useful given United’s goalscoring troubles this season. But it is in defence where United chiefs have chosen to strengthen this time around.
They have signed Lecce defender, Patrick Dorgu who significantly is the first signing since Amorim’s arrival. Manchester United have paid £29.2million for his signature and he has signed a contract until 2030.
The Danish left-back was also joined by another young defender Ayden Heaven, who moved in from Premier League rivals, Arsenal.
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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim insisted there was no need to panic in the final days of the January transfer window, despite his side slipping to another home defeat on Sunday.
Following their 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, United have now lost seven of their first 13 league home matches this season, their joint-most at this stage of a league campaign, along with 1893-94.
Goals have been hard to come by for United, with only Everton and the bottom three finding the net on fewer occasions in the Premier League.
With one day to go until the January window closes, Amorim said there would be no panic in the transfer market.
“We are trying everything to improve the team without doing (the transfer) mistakes of the past,” Amorim said. “And trying to balance the urgency of the moment, we know all of the aspects of our club in the moment but we are trying everything.
“When the window closes we will see the players, I’m focused on improving the team as a group, we need to win more games and we will try to do that, this season is like that.
“We need small improvements, try to win points, win the momentum, then we had setbacks and we go again.”
Amorim is yet to pick up back-to-back league wins since taking charge in November but believes the performance against Palace did show signs of improvement.
“The performance improved. Not a lot, but I think we played better than the other games, even against Southampton, we played better today,” he added.
“But when you continue to lose, especially at home, you have that feeling it’s nothing, the small improvement of the team. Let’s go again and see the next game.”
- Reuters
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