Victor Osimhen has spent the last few years turning every stop in his career into a launchpad. Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, now Turkey – each move has only sharpened the sense that the Premier League is his inevitable next stage.
He first flickered into European view at Wolfsburg, but it was at Charleroi that he truly caught fire. That loan spell in Belgium changed the conversation around him, transforming raw potential into a striker with a ruthless edge. Lille picked up the thread, and by 2019-20 he was bullying defences in Ligue 1, earning the kind of attention that guarantees a big move. Napoli didn’t hesitate.
In Italy, he did more than just score. He dragged Napoli into a new era. Across the 2022-23 season, he hit the target 31 times in all competitions and powered the club to a long-awaited Serie A title, ending a 33-year wait and etching his name into Neapolitan folklore. Those numbers, and that impact, did not go unnoticed in England.
Premier League scouts circled. Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea all weighed up a move, all aware that this was a centre-forward built for the modern game: pace to burn, the strength to ride challenges, and a penalty-box instinct that borders on predatory. The transfer never came. Instead, his path took a sharp turn east.
Now at Galatasaray, Osimhen has treated Turkey the same way he treated Belgium, France and Italy – as another stage to dominate. Sixty-five goals in 78 appearances tell their own story. He hasn’t settled. He’s accelerated.
The question follows him everywhere: how would he fare in the Premier League? For Andrew Cole, a man who knows exactly what it takes to thrive at the sharp end of English football, the answer is simple.
“He does. He scores goals,” the 1999 Treble winner told GOAL, speaking in association with Unibet. “He scored goals in Italy and he's scoring goals in Turkey as well.”
Cole’s verdict is not just about numbers. It’s about profile. Osimhen looks tailor-made for English football – direct, aggressive, relentless. Yet Cole also points to the complexities behind any big move.
“There’s many different factors in signing a player from a respective country,” he said. “It's not all about just the salary or the transfer fee. There could be many different things that go on. If he does come to the Premier League, which I think he will be very good in the Premier League, you never know who he'll go to.”
That last line hangs in the air. Because if any club has been repeatedly linked with Osimhen, it is Manchester United.
Former United players have queued up to make the case. Patrice Evra, never shy about calling out what the club lacks, boiled it down to the basics when speaking to GOAL.
“A striker, someone who scores a goal. I think that's what I'm looking at,” he said. “That's why for me, Osimhen is the best. He’s a perfect example.”
It is a blunt assessment of United’s recent shortcomings. They have chased systems, structures, philosophies. What they have not consistently had is a ruthless No. 9 who lives for the penalty area and thrives under pressure. Osimhen has built his career on exactly that.
Louis Saha, another former United forward who understands the demands of Old Trafford, sees the same fit. His admiration for the Nigeria international is rooted in more than finishing.
“I really like Victor Osimhen. He's definitely got the character, he's got the quality,” Saha has said. “He’s also got good European pedigree: he was a success in France, he was a champion in Italy with Napoli and he’s gone to Turkey with Galatasaray and been brilliant, a move that he probably didn't want, let's be honest.”
That last remark cuts to the heart of Osimhen’s mentality. The move to Turkey may not have been his dream step, but he has treated it like a proving ground, not a holding pattern. The goals have kept coming. The reputation has grown.
“He’s scored goals at every level. He’s got Champions League experience,” Saha added. “And further more, he’s got the type of personality and charisma that this United squad could really benefit from.”
This is where the conversation around Osimhen and United becomes more than just a transfer rumour. It becomes about identity. United have lacked not only a consistent goalscorer, but also a forward who imposes himself on games and dressing rooms alike. Saha believes Osimhen could reset the tone.
“I think he would be a transformational signing for Manchester United,” he said. “If you think about the pressure that he was under at Napoli, firing the club to its first title in 33 years, then he’s the perfect man to lead the line for Manchester United. I think he would have a huge impact at United. I would love to see the club hierarchy move for him, I think he is exactly what we need.”
From Charleroi to Lille, from Naples to Istanbul, Osimhen has answered every question put in front of him with goals and grit. The Premier League remains the one major stage he has yet to conquer.
The next move will define his prime years. The only unknown now is not whether he can handle English football – too many former greats are convinced he can – but which crest he will be wearing when he finally steps into that arena.
