Super Eagles forward, Victor Osimhen, was conspicuously missing from Antonio Conte’s squad for a recent pre-season friendly match, failing to secure even a spot on the reserve bench.
Napoli head coach, Antonio Conte, is gearing up for the new season with the players he plans to rely on, and in a recent pre-season friendly against KF Egnatia, he notably left out star striker Victor Osimhen.
In his third pre-season match overseeing Napoli, Conte selected a 3-4-2-1 formation to face the Albanian side KF Egnatia.
The lineup featured a back three of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Natan, and Amir Rrahmani, with Walid Cheddira leading the attack.
Cheddira, who netted seven goals on loan with Frosinone in Serie A last season, was chosen over Osimhen, who was entirely omitted from the squad and did not make the bench.
Osimhen has been an integral player for Napoli, but this summer, he has been surrounded by transfer rumors, casting doubt on his future at the club.
The persistent absence of Osimhen from pre-season matches suggests that Conte might be planning to start the season without him, with Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku reportedly eyed as a potential replacement.
Alongside Cheddira, Conte’s squad featured new signing Leonardo Spinazzola on one flank and Pasquale Mazzocchi on the other.
The midfield was anchored by Stanislav Lobotka, who shone for Slovakia in the 2024 European Championship, and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, providing both stability and creativity.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who recently returned from his EURO 2024 campaign with Georgia, was positioned alongside Matteo Politano in advanced roles to deliver the attacking impetus Napoli needed in Osimhen’s absence.
While a move to Paris Saint-Germain has seemed imminent for most of the summer, Osimhen remains a Napoli player for now.
Consequently, Conte’s ongoing exclusion of the Nigerian striker and the rumoured interest in Lukaku raises questions about the future if Osimhen does not secure an exit from Napoli this season.
