Ex-Napoli striker opens up on why Antonio Conte ousted Osimhen

• Antonio Conte froze Victor Osimhen out of the Napoli squad during pre-season, opting to trust Romelu Lukaku instead
• Emanuele Calaiò explained Conte’s preference for Lukaku, citing his leadership and influence in the locker room
• “Osimhen is stronger than Lukaku,” said Calaiò, but Conte chose Lukaku for his leadership qualities

At the beginning of the season, former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte took charge at Napoli and immediately set the stage for significant changes within the squad. 

The club found itself at a crossroads, as stars like Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were expected to leave despite their impressive individual performances in the previous season. While Napoli managed to hold on to Kvaratskhelia, Osimhen's future was a topic of intense speculation across Europe.

Osimhen, in particular, was the subject of widespread transfer rumours, with interest from European giants such as Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, and PSG. Despite the buzz, no major move materialised for the Nigerian striker. 

Osimhen, who had been a talismanic figure for Napoli during their title-winning 2022/23 Serie A campaign, scoring 31 goals and becoming the first African to claim the Capocannoniere award, was now on the sidelines after he handed in a transfer request to the club.

Sooner Conte made a bold decision that caught many off guard, Osimhen was frozen out of the Napoli squad. The Italian manager had now placed his faith in Romelu Lukaku, who rejoined Serie A from Chelsea, leaving Osimhen with no option but to leave.

In a recent interview, former Napoli striker Emanuele Calaiò shed light on Conte's choice, suggesting that Lukaku's influence off the field played a key role. 

“Osimhen is stronger than Lukaku, but Conte evidently chose the Belgian because he is a locker room man, a leader. Have you seen what he did with Monza? It was clear from the TV; he always encouraged his teammates, he guided them.”

“Then he won't go to the national team for the second time, it's not for everyone, it's a clear signal, he is a player who has put himself completely at the disposal of his teammates and Napoli.”

Despite a strong performance in Italy, Osimhen's summer exit saw him join Turkish giants Galatasaray on loan after failing to secure a permanent move before the transfer deadline. Since joining Galatasaray, Osimhen has continued to shine, with two goals and four assists in his first four games across all competitions.

Both Napoli and Osimhen have since moved on, with the striker already making an impressive impact at his new club.

Osimhen becomes most-followed Nigerian footballer on IG, here are the 9 most followed after him

Previously, TheRadar reported that Osimhen’s growing social media presence can be attributed to his electrifying performances for his new club, especially his assist run in his last three games. 

After his record-setting loan move to Galatasaray, Osimhen’s follower count surged dramatically, proving his growing popularity among fans around the world. Within two weeks of the transfer, the 25-year-old saw his Instagram followers increase by 848,000, making him Nigeria’s leading most-followed personality in football.