“They treated me like a dog” – Victor Osimhen drops Napoli bombshell

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has revealed that he was treated poorly at Napoli before his departure, Afrik-Foot reports.

​Osimhen joined Napoli from French Ligue 1 side Lille in 2020 for a club-record €75 million. However, due to injury setbacks, he had to wait until his second season to truly make an impact and showcase his quality.

By his third campaign, he led the club to a historic Serie A triumph, winning the Capocannoniere (highest goalscorer award) in the process.

​At the time, Osimhen was the toast of Europe and was linked with various elite clubs. However, he opted to stay and signed a contract extension. Unfortunately, that was the season his relationship with the club became strained.

During the campaign, a video mocking Osimhen was posted on the club’s official TikTok account, which caused a significant rift at Napoli.

​By then, Luciano Spalletti—who was very close to Osimhen—had already departed after falling out with club president Aurelio De Laurentiis, making the atmosphere even more awkward.

Napoli official statement on Victor Osimhen and TikTok video case.

“Calcio Napoli, wishing to avoid any exploitation of the issue, point out that we never wanted to offend or mock Victor Osimhen, who is a treasure of this club”.

“As proof of that, during the summer training… pic.twitter.com/DKnblQPvuU

— POOJA!!! (@PoojaMedia) September 28, 2023

​The situation deteriorated in the summer when Osimhen expressed his desire to leave. Although the 27-year-old was linked to almost every top club in Europe, the rumors dragged on until the very end of the transfer window.

Amid the uncertainty, he was shut out of the club’s training sessions. With the transfer windows in the top five leagues closed, the Super Eagles star eventually joined Galatasaray in a shocking loan move.

​Last summer, he decided to make his stay in Turkey permanent despite interest from other major clubs. Throughout the transfer saga, Osimhen remained silent, but he has finally opened up about what actually transpired between him and the Italian side.

​Victor Osimhen Reveals What Transpired Between Him and Napoli

​In a recent interview, Osimhen revealed that Napoli did their absolute best to frustrate him.

He also noted that Antonio Conte wanted to keep him after being appointed as Napoli’s coach, but the former Chelsea boss had to follow the club’s directive and exclude Osimhen from his plans.

“We had a gentlemen’s agreement that I could leave the following summer, but the other side didn’t fully keep their promise,” Osimhen told CDS.

“They tried to send me to play everywhere, treating me like a dog. Go here, go there, do this, do that… I worked so hard to advance my career, I couldn’t accept that kind of treatment. I’m not a puppet.

“Of course, even though they said he didn’t want me on the team. Are you serious? What coach wouldn’t have wanted me at that point? As soon as I arrived, Conte called me into his office and told me he was aware of the situation but that, despite everything, he wanted me to stay.

“I explained to him that I would have liked to work with him, but by then I had made my choice: I didn’t want to continue working in a place where I wasn’t happy.”

Osimhen will be happy that that phase of his career is now over and he found a home in Galatasaray. He is currently the best player at the club, and he will be hoping to achieve a lot of successful with the club in the coming years.