Osimhen with another brace, assists as Galatasaray smash Erzurumspor
Victor Osimhen maintained his impressive start to the new Süper Lig campaign, scoring twice and assisting another goal as defending champions Galatasaray defeated newly promoted Erzurumspor FK 4-0 at the Kazım Karabekir Stadium on Friday.
Roland Sallai put Galatasaray ahead in the 12th minute before Osimhen turned provider eight minutes later, setting up Yunus Akgün to make it 2-0.
The Super Eagles forward then got his name on the scoresheet in first-half stoppage time, giving Galatasaray a three-goal lead at the break. He completed his brace in the 80th minute to seal a comfortable victory for the champions.
Osimhen’s two goals and assist mean he has now directly contributed to at least one goal in each of his last 14 league appearances for Galatasaray. During that remarkable run, he has scored 16 times and registered six assists, directly contributing to 21 goals.
The 27-year-old has also scored in consecutive league matches after netting twice in Galatasaray’s 2-2 draw with fellow newly promoted Çorum in their opening fixture at RAMS Park last week.
His outstanding form in Turkey has also attracted renewed interest from the Premier League, with Arsenal reportedly opening talks with Galatasaray over a potential transfer, according to French outlet Foot Mercato.
The English champions are said to be interested in adding another proven goalscorer to compete with Viktor Gyökeres and give Mikel Arteta greater attacking options.
Osimhen recorded 30 goal involvements for Galatasaray last season, performances that have reportedly made him a favourite of the Arsenal boss. His strong start to the new campaign appears to have further increased Arsenal’s interest.
However, negotiations are still in their early stages, with Arsenal and Galatasaray reportedly some distance apart over personal terms. Osimhen currently earns a net annual salary of €20 million and remains contracted to the Turkish champions until 2029.
Arsenal are unlikely to match those wages unless the Nigerian forward is prepared to take a pay cut to facilitate a move to the Premier League.
