Napoli recover from Osimhen earthquake while Pogba’s troubles linger

Osimhen

Napoli and Victor Osimhen are together again ahead of Sunday’s visit to Fiorentina after a row that threatened to further complicate a faltering title defence was smoothed over by the Nigerian striker.

Outraged by Napoli for the club’s official TikTok account mocking his penalty miss at Bologna a week ago, Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda threatened legal action and Nigeria’s sports minister even got involved in the spat, using diplomatic channels to defend his countryman.

However, strikes in subsequent four-goal thumpings by Udinese and Lecce steadied the rocking ship and placed Napoli in third place, four points behind joint leaders Inter Milan and AC Milan.

They were also followed by Osimhen defending Napoli supporters from accusations of racism which stung a fan base which has little to no history of racist acts and is a frequent target of abuse from other areas of Italy, in particular the wealthier north.

Napoli’s renewed enthusiasm could be seen on Tuesday night after an unlucky defeat by Real Madrid showed Rudi Garcia’s were a match for Europe’s best, as Naples worried about a series of earthquakes in the volcanic Campi Flegrei area just west of the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

And after the loss, president Aurelio De Laurentiis said that there were “no problems” with a long-mooted contract extension until 2027, which Osimhen still hasn’t signed.

“Everyone is always happy at Napoli. They (players) have problems when they leave because they lose their way,” he told the Spanish TV programme El Chiringuito.

This sudden burst of apparent harmony will carry Napoli into a weekend in which early title favourites Inter host Bologna and Milan are at Genoa, who have settled well back into Serie A football.

De Laurentiis