The Daily Mail last night claimed that sources close to £103m valued Victor Osimhen had made it clear that the striker was open to a move to Chelsea.
They add that he has a £103m release clause, although his presence at the Africa Cup of Nations means a January move is unlikely.
This will be a deal to happen in the summer. The question is whether they have the solution to save the rest of this season and get to that point. There are loan options out there, or do they trust Armando Broja to cover and Nicolas Jackson to do his part once he’s back from AFCON himself?
How they make the money for an Osimhen signing is another thing. Sales are expected, but they will largely go towards covering last year’s losses.
Still, one vital piece of the equation is always the player, and so long as he’s open to a move, we’ve got a chance.
If we buy Osimhen you can be just about guaranteed we’ll have to sell Gallagher. I’m sorry, but whatever marginal upgrade Osimhen would offer us at striker over the likes of Jackson or Nkunku it’s not worth the loss of the guy who leads our midfield in every meaningful stat. We’ve seen that when Gallagher is missing from the lineup our ability to win midfield falls off a cliff (see our bad loss versus Man Utd as Exhibit A).
At some point the club and supporters have to start resisting the bright shiny objects in the “store window.” We’ve got a talented, if young, squad and Poch needs time to develop them. Aside from adding or subtracting a piece here and there, we really shouldn’t be expecting any further 100m purchases absent similarly valued outgoings.