Osimhen is reaping the fruits of Spalletti at Napoli but he must overcome a huge challenge this year

Victor Osimhen had only spent one season at Napoli when Luciano Spalletti joined the club, but there were doubts over how he would fare under the Roma man. 

Not because he was exceptional under former manager Genaro Gattuso but because he needed to start justifying the huge amount Napoli paid for him. 

Gattuso was Napoli's coach when Osimhen joined Napoli for a club-record fee of €81.3m in 2020. As expected, there was huge pressure on his shoulders in his first season, given the fee involved in his transfers. 

Osimhen had a difficult first year, missing more than three months of action due to a shoulder injury and coronavirus. Still, he managed to score ten goals in 24 league games in his first year. 

On paper, it looked decent, but for a player who came in for massive money, more is expected. Nonetheless, Osimhen was expected to build on his performance going into his second season. 

However, unfortunately, the manager who signed him, Gattuso, was sacked, with Spalletti replacing him. When Spalletti was announced as Napoli's manager, questions were raised about how Osimhen would cope without Gattuso. 

Although Osimhen's only season under Gattuso was not exceptional, it was still decent, and the former AC Milan also had a love for him. 

Gattuso protected Osimhen from the brutal Italian media and defended him even when he did not have to.

The new Valencia boss took Osimhen under his wings and protected him like his son, which explains why there were questions about how the Super Eagles would cope with Spalletti. 

However, two seasons later, Spalletti's arrival could not have come at a better time for Osimhen. The Super Eagles star has reached a new level under the Italian tactician. 

While Osimhen's talent has always been clear to see, he has become a clinical finisher under Spalletti, which is not surprising, considering the former Roma manager's antecedents. 

Before he was appointed as Napoli's coach, Spalletti had worked with strikers similar to Osimhen, and some of them had their best-scoring season under him.

The first player that comes to mind is Francesco Totti. Although not a natural striker, Totti played as a centre forward under Spalletti in the 2006/2007 season, and it turned out to be his highest-scoring season.

The Roma legend scored 26 league goals under Spalletti that campaign and also provided eight assists. Four years later, another striker named Aleksandr Kerzhakov had his best scoring season under the ex-Inter Milan manager at Zenith St. Petersburg.

Kerzhakov scored 23 league goals and registered 11 assists for Zenith under the Italian in the 2010/2011 campaign.

Edin Dzeko and Mauro Icardi, who both have a similar physique as Osimhen, had their best-scoring season in the Italian Serie A under Spalletti.

Dzeko scored 29 times and provided 13 assists in 37 games under Spalletti in the 2016/2017 campaign. Icardi also managed the same number of goals under the Italian the following season.

Osimhen is now reaping the same reward under the former Zenith St Petersburg manager. The Super Eagles star scored 18 in all competitions in their first year together- last season. 

Osimhen scored four in the Europa League and 14 in the Italian Serie A, his highest in Europe's top five leagues. 

This season, Osimhen is currently Serie A's top scorer with seven goals in eight games, including a hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Sassuolo over the weekend. 

In just 42 games under Spalletti, Osimhen has scored 26 goals and assisted another seven. In contrast, he scored ten and assisted three in 30 games under Gattuso. 

Under Spalletti, Osimhen is the focal point of the team, with the team playing to his strength, a luxury he did not enjoy under Gattuso, despite his love for him. 

During Gattuso's time, Napoli had wingers who focused more on scoring than creating chances, so Osimhen had to work extra hard and feed on scraps to score goals. 

However, with Spalletti's arrival, the team now plays to the Nigerian international's strengths.

This season, four different players have assisted him in the Italian Serie A, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia being the chief supplier. 

The Georgian international has been a superb addition to Napoli's team, combining well with Osimhen. Of Osimhen's seven goals in the Italian Serie A this season, Kvaratskhelia has assisted four, including two against Sassuolo. 

Osimhen did not get this kind of service under Gattuso, but he is reaping the reward under Spalletti, which could set him up for the greatest season of his career. 

However, for Osimhen to have the best individual year of his young career, he needs to overcome one challenge: his fitness issue. 

Since arriving at Napoli, Osimhen has not played a full season without a major injury. The Super Eagles star has missed 45 games due to separate injuries and coronavirus.

In his first year, he was out for 83 days after picking up a shoulder injury on international duty and coronavirus following his recovery.

The same season, he missed another three games due to a head injury, just a month after recovering from his shoulder injury and coronavirus.

Last season, Osimhen was out for another 54 days, missing 12 games due to a cheekbone fracture after colliding with Inter Milan's Milan Skriniar. During his recovery period, he caught Covid-19 on a trip to Nigeria, ruling him out for two more games.

This season, he has already missed six games due to a hamstring injury he picked up against Liverpool. 

Without the injury, he would have scored more this season. Although he has come back strongly, Osimhen needs to stay fit if he wants to keep this momentum up.

He has a big opportunity this season to reach the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career. And with the Super Eagles out of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, he can reach unprecedented heights in the final half of the season.