Osimhen's teammates locked in a room for rituals by Napoli owner in drastic response to poor form

SSC Napoli players have been confined to a week-long stay in a hotel by disappointed owner Aurelio De Laurentiis after falling off the title pace in the Serie A.

Victor Osimhen and his teammates ended a long wait for the Serie A title last season but have looked poor so far in their quest to defend it. 

The Italian champions currently sit ninth on the Serie A table, 20 points behind league leaders Inter Milan after 19 matches. 

Halfway through the 2023/2024 campaign, Osimhen’s defending champions have only managed eight wins, with seven defeats, three of which have come in the last four matches.

In a drastic move, Napoli owner De Laurentiis has taken the players to a week-long retreat known as ‘ritiro’, which means ‘withdraw, according to a Daily Star report.

In a drastic move, De Laurentiis has ordered the entire squad to be locked in a hotel until their form improves.

The Italian league is not the only place Napoli are struggling, having crashed out of the Coppa Italia following an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Frosinone.

Nigeria’s Osimhen missed the Coppa Italia defeat as he has been on international duty with Nigeria for the Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON.

The 25-year-old, who is the current African Player of the Year, would hope for a better outing with Nigeria’s Super Eagles when the team takes to the pitch against Equatorial Guinea in their AFCON opener on Sunday.