How Victor Osimhen Managed To Secure A Move To Galatasaray From Napoli, Italian Agent George Gardi Explains.

• Victor Osimhen had completed a shock move to the Istanbul giants earlier this week, bringing an end to a summer-long transfer saga.

• Premier League club Chelsea were attempting to sign the Nigerian striker late into Deadline Day on Friday but could not come to an agreement over his wages.

• Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli showed interest in signing the striker, but eventually settled for Ivan Toney, leaving Osimhen in limbo.

Galatasaray SK confirmed the signing of Victor Osimhen on loan from Napoli. 

Osimhen arrived in Turkey on Monday following an agreement between the Turkish club and the Serie A side to have Osimhen at the Rams Park for the 2024/25 season.

According to the deal, Galatasaray will pay the full salary of the Nigeria Super Eagles star throughout the loan spell.

However, they are not obligated to buy the striker once the season ends.

In a statement on Wednesday, Galatasaray also added that the striker “will be paid a net seasonal salary of 6,000,000 euros” for the move.

Masquerade with a special guest. 🎭

Osimhen is here. #WelcomeToGalaOsimhen pic.twitter.com/GW9MDFmmyc

— Galatasaray EN (@Galatasaray) September 4, 2024 

 The loan deal finally puts an end to a summer-long transfer saga following a strained relationship that soured after the club blocked his transfer to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli.

It led to Napoli axing Osimhen from their squad for the season, as former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Antonio Conte who took charge for this season confirmed the striker would not feature in his plans after handing in a transfer request.

Conte further signed Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku, 31, from the Blues for £30m, with Chelsea failing to sign Osimhen.

Osimhen scored 76 goals in 133 games for Napoli and played a key role in their 2022-23 Serie A title win with 26 goals.

But the 25-year-old failed to maintain the explosive form that made him one of the most coveted strikers in Europe, scoring 15 times in Serie A last season in a disappointing campaign for Napoli in which they finished 10th and went through three managers.

According to reports by transfer journalist, Fabrizio Romano, the move was facilitated by George Gardi, as Osimhen's agent Roberto Calenda, was unable to help his client secure a desired move before the close of the European transfer window. 

Gardi is a FIFA-accredited football agent associated with Galatasaray, who has handled a lot of Italian players’ move to Turkey due to his relationship with the Super League clubs, explained in a recent interview with Tutto Mercato, how Osimhen's move to the Turkish champions came to be.

Gardi revealed that Galatasaray were waiting on the prowl and pounced immediately. According to him, immediately after the close of the general European transfer window, Galatasaray initiated contacts. 

He detailed the timeline of events and how it was done in 48 hours, that they had to move with speed, and evidently, they managed to get the approval of Napoli and Osimhen himself. “Osimhen deal had started on Friday, 00.01, right after the European market closed,” he told TMW, per Fabrizio Romano.

“Napoli immediately opened the doors to Gala loan move and the player also did the same, we had to be fast and Victor Osimhen immediately said yes.

Gardi cited Osimhen’s willingness and his conversation with manager Okan Buruk as key factors in getting it done. 

“We had a video call with the coach, Okan Buruk. There, he explained the change of formation he wanted to make: Gala played with 4-2-3-1, but after he heard about Victor, he thought of immediately changing the formation and playing with two strikers,” he said.

“After this call… Victor was convinced before, even more so afterwards. Official contacts between the clubs began, and the negotiation took place quickly and with the utmost confidentiality.” 

Shortly after the transfer was officially announced, Roberto Calenda took to social media, posting a photo with a caption that hinted at the friction with Napoli.

Calenda did not hold back in expressing his feelings towards Napoli, signaling the end of a tumultuous chapter between the player and the Italian club.

“Come on Victor! New journey, new challenge! The past is a gift for those who know how to appreciate it. The future is coming! Thank you, Galatasaray,” Calenda wrote.

The post also dispelled rumors of a split between Calenda and Osimhen, reaffirming their continued partnership as the striker embarks on this new chapter in his career. 

Osimhen insists he is “very happy” to have joined Galatasaray on a season-long loan from Napoli.

During his first press conference in Turkey, Osimhen had his anticipation to hear the Galatasaray fans scream his name when he score for the club.

Speaking to the club’s official website about the move, Osimhen said: “When I heard of the interest from Galatasaray, it was a very easy decision for me.

"I knew how big Galatasaray was and how much like a family it was, and it had incredible fans.

"Henry (Onyekuru) is my friend and he played for Galatasaray before and is still a fan. He told me how wonderful the people here are, so it was an easy decision for me.

Meanwhile, Osimhen has linked up with the rest of the Super Eagles squad ahead of the AFCON qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda.