Is Antonio Conte regretting letting Victor Osimhen go?

By Monsurah Olatunji

Napoli head coach Antonio Conte has expressed his frustration with the lack of quality in his team’s attack following their 1-0 defeat to Lazio, a loss that revealed the struggles of his current forward options — particularly Romelu Lukaku — and raised questions about the decision to let Victor Osimhen leave.

Osimhen, who played a pivotal role in Napoli’s Scudetto-winning campaign, scoring 26 goals in 32 Serie A appearances, was frozen out of Conte’s plans after the manager’s arrival.

His departure left a significant void, one that Lukaku, who has netted only five goals in 13 matches this season, has struggled to fill. In contrast, Osimhen has been in sensational form this season, scoring seven goals in nine Turkish Super Lig appearances and adding three more in four Europa League matches for Galatasaray.

Despite a strong start to the season, Napoli’s current attack has been underwhelming. The Partenopei are second in Serie A, but they have only scored 21 goals, ranking them 8th in the league for goals scored — far behind their rivals at the top. In comparison, last season’s Napoli were prolific in front of goal, with Osimhen leading the charge.

Conte’s frustrations with his attacking options were made clear after the Lazio defeat, as he criticized his team’s inability to convert chances. His comments suggested that Napoli’s current offensive struggles might be a result of not having a striker of Osimhen’s caliber.

“Today’s match also showed that we are on the right path; our idea is to attack the opponent, stop them from playing, and create situations to hurt them,” Conte said after the game, as quoted by TMW.

“We need to improve in this respect. We get there, but the final step is missing. We are working on it; I am not disappointed with the performance; the lads gave their all, playing a good game against an excellent team.”

While Conte expressed satisfaction with his team’s overall effort, his critique of their final product — the inability to score — suggested a lack of the necessary quality in attack, which could have been filled by Osimhen.

With the Nigerian striker impressing at Galatasaray and Napoli still struggling in the final third, one has to wonder if Conte is now regretting letting Osimhen leave.

Osimhen’s future remains uncertain, with various clubs reportedly interested in securing his services, but his stellar performances this season have certainly raised doubts about whether Napoli’s decision to part ways with him was the right one.