Legendary agent slams Napoli, Osimhen’s team over transfer saga

Veteran Italian agent Antonio Caliendo was blunt in his assessment of the Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen's transfer negotiations.

The agency said that the management of Napoli and Osimhen's team had both mishandled what could have been a game-changing acquisition.

Unexpectedly, Osimhen, who was once connected to major league teams like Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, ended up signing a loan with Galatasaray rather than earning a position at one of the top teams in Europe.

The well-known football agent was forthright in his criticism of the way Osimhen's transfer drama was handled.
According to AreaNapoli on Thursday, Caliendo voiced his displeasure with the way the Nigerian striker's career had been handled in a live interview with Radio Goal on Kiss Kiss Napoli.

Caliendo said plainly, "He was not managed in the right way, and he was supposed to be the leading man of the world market."

Caliendo, who is widely recognised for his vast expertise in the football world, made it apparent that he thought Napoli's market potential was restricted due to the subpar management of Osimhen's transfer.
The 80-year-old said, "Osimhen did not generate the expected great market value, so his sale restricted Napoli's market."

"It seems to me that everything is going well in Naples under the direction of a great Antonio Conte, and his influence is visible in the results," Caliendo said, expressing his gratitude for Antonio Conte's leadership at Napoli despite his frustrations.

When thinking back on Osimhen's early days at Napoli, Caliendo related an incident he had with a friend: "I told my friend that he would cost €200 million the first time I saw him play for Napoli." However, Caliendo saw that things quickly went wrong.
He bemoaned, "The whole operation has been disappointing, with him entering the market as if he were a discarded shoe, due to the mismanagement by those in charge of his career."

"He wasn't handled well, and he ought to have been the market leader globally instead. It's obvious that De Laurentiis's confidence in those who reassured him about Osimhen's multi-million euro transfer was misguided.

Roberto Calenda, Osimhen's agent, was likewise disappointed with Caliendo.

Calenda has failed, and that much is obvious to everybody. Someone made a mistake since, despite discussion of Chelsea and PSG, he ultimately chose to play for Galatasaray."

Caliendo ended by expressing his own frustration, saying, "I was very disappointed." He drew reference to a contentious point in Osimhen's career trajectory when he said, "I felt sorry for Osimhen, but I felt even more sorry for the person who made him record that video."

Caliendo believes that Osimhen has suffered both on and off the game as a result of poor management of a player who was headed for the top of the football market.

On the other hand, Osimhen has made a good impression in Turkey, racking up four assists in his opening three games.

Galatasaray is determined to hold onto the former LOSC Lille player beyond his loan spell.
Ibrahim Hatipoğlu, their deputy chairman, has stated that arrangements are in place to keep the striker after this season and has ruled out his departure in the winter.

Twelve of the 22 players on the pitch in the 1990 World Cup final between Germany and Argentina were clients of Caliendo, according to CharityStars. The most well-known athletes he has collaborated with are Maicon, Ederson, Aldair, Roberto Baggio, Carlos Dunga, Ramon Diaz, Salvatore Schillaci, and David Trezeguet.