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Ajax legend Frank de Boer has expressed surprise that no Premier League club signed Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen before his high-profile move to Turkish giants Galatasaray, Footynaija.com reports.
The former Netherlands international, who won five Eredivisie titles with Ajax in the 1990s, said he found it ‘remarkable’ that English clubs failed to secure the services of a striker he described as ‘fantastic.’
Osimhen enjoyed a record-breaking season on loan with Galatasaray last term, scoring 37 goals in all competitions as the club clinched both the Super Lig and the Turkish Cup.
His performances helped end an 11-year wait for Galatasaray’s domestic double and boosted his reputation as one of the most clinical forwards in Europe.
The Nigerian also made history in the UEFA Champions League, becoming Galatasaray’s fastest-ever goalscorer in the competition with his early strike against Bodo/Glimt. He went on to score in seven consecutive European matches, setting another club record.
Despite his prolific form at Napoli before the loan spell, and later in Turkey, Premier League clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester United were unwilling to meet Napoli’s €75 million valuation and Osimhen’s wage demands. That hesitation paved the way for Galatasaray to sign him permanently in what became the most expensive transfer in Turkish football history.
Speaking to Ajax’s official website, De Boer said: “Turkey, as a football nation, is a sleeping giant. It’s a large country with plenty of financial resources. There are many good players there, that’s for sure. But money sometimes gets thrown around, especially when a club president wants to be elected or re-elected.
“It’s remarkable that Osimhen is playing in Turkey and that no English club managed to lure him away. You have to respect that choice, he’s a fantastic striker.”
Osimhen will be the star to watch when Ajax host Galatasaray in Amsterdam on matchday four of this season’s UEFA Champions League group stage.
