Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has backed Victor Osimhen’s proposed transfer to Italian side Napoli.
The Franco-German manager also allayed fears that the Italian league might be another difficult experience for the 21 year old forward who struggled to hit expected height in the German Bundesliga.
Osimhen could become second most expensive player in the history of African football should the deal go through.
The Gennaro Gattuso’s are reportedly ready to pay his club Lille, 70 million Euros for the services of the Super Eagles forward who scored 18 goals and recorded six assists in 38 appearances across all competitions last season.
Rohr insisted the player already has the mentality of a champion and believes he’s ready to take the necessary steps forward.
”Of course, we are talking about a scorer, a player of power and speed. He is a fighter, he never accepts defeat, he always wants to win, even in training matches,”Rohr told Radio Punto Nuovo.
”During the last African Cup, he didn’t play very much, he had a very important player for Nigeria like Ighalo in front of him. When, however, Ighalo was forced to stop for an injury, Osimhen had his chance.
“Victor fought all week, training hard, but without ever giving problems to me or teammates if he remained on the bench.
“Victor has a great player mentality. And often, in our chats, I advised him to take an important step and go to a level club, where he can find the right space to play continuously and grow.
Meanwhile, Napoli already has a vibrant attack that consists of Lorenzo Insigne, Jose Callejon, Hirving Lozano, and Arkadiusz Milik, Rohr however, hopes Gattuso can find a space for him in the team.
“He is a guy who loves to work hard and who needs to be in constant competition. I hope Victor talks about it with Gattuso and can then find the right role within the Napoli project.” he said.