He wanted me! — Osimhen reveals one manager he would have loved to play for

Victor Osimhen has shed new light on his ill-fated final days at Napoli, revealing that Antonio Conte desperately tried to keep him at the club despite the mounting tensions that led to his 2024 departure.

In a revealing interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, timed perfectly ahead of Galatasaray's UEFA Champions League playoff against Juventus, the Nigerian forward opened up about his relationship with Conte, who arrived as Napoli's head coach in the summer of 2024.

"Conte wanted to keep me: I would have loved to work with him," Osimhen admitted, directly countering rumors that the Italian tactician had pushed for his exit.

"People were saying around that Conte didn't want me in the team. Come on, seriously? Which coach at that moment wouldn't have wanted me?

"As soon as he 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 didn't feel happy."

Osimhen's admiration for Conte echoes the respect he has repeatedly shown for Luciano Spalletti, the coach who guided him to the 2022-23 Serie A title.

Yet, despite Conte's personal plea to stay, the damage from the club's actions proved irreversible. Osimhen chose a loan move to Galatasaray, where he has since returned to his goalscoring best.