Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Napoli striker Victor Osimhen before the January transfer window shuts.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta is keen to add a new striker to his attacking options with Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah out of contract at the end of the season, whilst former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is still absent from the Arsenal squad, and may even leave the club before the end of this month.
Nigerian striker Osimhen recently returned from injury for Napoli, featuring as a substitute in the Italian outfit's last two fixtures, and Arsenal would reportedly need to offer a significant amount of money to land the 23-year-old before Monday's transfer deadline.
So, if Osimhen was to make the move to Arsenal in January, what sort of impact could he have on Arteta's side? Could the Nigerian striker help Arsenal qualify for the Champions League?
We simulated the rest of the season with Osimhen in the Gunners' squad and this is what happened.
We 'signed' Victor Osimhen for Arsenal in January 2022
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for Osimhen to join Arsenal at the start of the January 2022 transfer window, using FM22 to run the simulation.
This is how Osimhen's in-game profile looks on FM22.
The Nigerian striker has impressive physical and technical attributes with 16 finishing, 18 off the ball, 17 acceleration, 19 pace and 16 strength, and has plenty of room to improve at just 23-years-old.
Osimhen's attributes show that he's rated as a clinical striker, who is able to defend from the front due to his off-the-ball work rate. Let's take a look at how Osimhen performed throughout the second half of the 2021/22 season after signing for Arsenal in January 2022.
The 23-year-old made a total of 18 appearances for Arsenal after signing in January, scoring 11 goals and registering two assists.
Osimhen's total of 13 goal contributions ranked him as the sixth most influential player in Arsenal's attack behind the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe. And, he was only there half a season.
The Nigeria international's statistics averaged over a full season would see Osimhen reach a tally of 20+ goals, putting him in competition with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane for the golden boot award. Osimhen averaged a match rating of 7.46 for the Gunners, ranking him as the best performer out of any attacker at the club, ahead of Saka, (7.35), Martinelli (7.23) and Smith Rowe (7.17).
At the end of the 2021/22 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Arsenal XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics.
This is what Arsenal's best XI looked like at the end of the 2021/22 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:
Full Arsenal best XI (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, Gabriel, White, Tierney; Partey, Odegaard; Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli; Osimhen.
The 23-year-old led the attacking line for Arsenal with the support of Martinelli, Smith Rowe and Saka.
So, how did Arsenal perform in the league after signing Osimhen in the January transfer window?
Arsenal's results from the 2021/22 simulation
Arsenal finished fourth in the Premier League after signing Osimhen in January and qualified for the Champions League.
The Gunners secured Champions League football for the 2022/23 season after finishing in the top four for the first time since the 2015/16 season.
Compared to last season, Arsenal finished four league positions higher, with six more points and a better goal difference by +3 in our simulated season with Osimhen moving to the Emirates Stadium in January.
Overall, this Football Manager simulation predicts that if Arsenal were to sign Osimhen in January, the Nigerian striker could have a big impact at the Emirates Stadium, registering 13 goal contributions in just 18 appearances and helping Arsenal qualify for the Champions League.
And the exciting 23-year-old has plenty of potential to improve further and could become Arsenal's leading striker for years to come should they sign him, but further additions to the squad would be needed if the Gunners are to bridge the gap to the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City, and challenge for the league title.
Would you like to see Victor Osimhen sign for Arsenal? Let us know in the comments!
