Victor Osimhen is ‘perfect’ for Arsenal - but there’s one major problem

Updated: 14 Sept 2026 13:37 BST | 4 min read

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

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Victor Osimhen has been told he has the “perfect” profile to sign for Arsenal, but he will have to be willing to compromise if he is to move to the Premier League giants.

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Osimhen has spent years being linked with a move to England’s top flight, with Chelsea and Manchester United regularly linked with him as well as the Gunners.

The Galatasaray centre-forward has a prolific history in front of goal, having scored 17 or more goals in seven of his last eight seasons. But while there are no doubts over the finishing qualities of the 27-year-old Nigeria international, there is one thing holding him back from the move onto the big stage that he has long promised.

Current ETV

Victor Osimhen

F (C)

Galatasaray

Victor Osimhen

F (C)

Galatasaray

ETV Range

€49.2M - €60.1M

“He has the perfect profile for the Premier League, he's big, strong, great in the air, and can play in a high-pressing team, a low block, or a possession-based side. His movement in the box and finishing ability are proven and deadly,” former goalkeeper Brad Friedel, who worked briefly in Turkey with Besiktas, explained to Jackpot City Casino.

“The difficulty with a deal like that often comes down to financial structures and wage expectations, especially with PSR rules in the Premier League making massive net packages difficult to accommodate alongside other transfer business.

“Having been at Besiktas, I know the overall package offered to him was enormous, which makes it complicated for Premier League clubs trying to manage financial compliance.

“In Turkey, contract structure and image rights negotiations can cause delays. Many Premier League clubs likely inquired, but most probably didn't get past the first phone call when they found out how much.”

The Osimhen problem Arsenal would have to solve

Osimhen’s estimated €20 million salary (including bonuses) would easily put him in the top 10 Premier League earners.

Arsenal’s resistance to paying such a salary for the striker is backed by data analytics experts SciSports, who believe that the 27-year-old would not make a significant improvement to the club.

In the centre-forward area, it rates both Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres as better players than the former Napoli and Lille hitman based on its SciSkill index, which is calculated from hundreds of in-game data points.

© IMAGO - Career development of Osimhen compared to Havertz and Gyokeres

What is perhaps most surprising is that it does not believe that Osimhen has room for attaining a higher level, while it believes that both Havertz and Gyokeres, who are of a similar age to the Nigerian, still have a little more to come from them.

The No.9, meanwhile, is currently paid more than any Arsenal player with the exception of Bukayo Saka, Capology adds. His status at such a salary is incompatible with the club’s current wage structure.

For this reason, it seems unlikely that we will ever see Osimhen play in the Premier League while he is in his peak years – a situation that the player seems comfortable with but will leave fans asking, ‘what if?’