Romelu Lukaku is up and running in his new chapter with Napoli after the club parted ways with their iconic forward Victor Osimhen.
Lukaku joined Napoli as Victor Osimhen’s replacement after the club decided to part ways with the latter following a total breakdown in their relationship with the Nigerian player.
Unlike his successor, Osimhen wrestled with a bedraggled transfer situation that saw the player almost frozen out of footballing action. He settled for a loan transfer to Turkish giants Galatasaray after a failed attempt to join Saudi club Al-Ahli and Chelsea in the Premier League.
Lukaku signed a three-year contract with Napoli, joining for €35m from Chelsea on a permanent contract.
He was handed Osimhen’s No.9 Napoli shirt in a symbolic move to reaffirm the club’s decision to have the Belgium international as the new anchor man, leading the Azzurri’s attack. But the Belgian striker settled for shirt number 11.
Stepping in to fill the vacuum left by Victor Osimhen, Romelu Lukaku was set to face the high bar set by Osimhen with the Neapolitans. Recall the 25-year-old led the Azzurri’s 2022-23 Serie A title charge, scoring 26 goals to fire the team to their first Scudetto in 33 years.
Romelu Lukaku scores two goals in two matches for Napoli: can he replace Victor Osimhen?
In his first two matches for Napoli, Lukaku has already proven he is ready for the challenge of replicating or possibly surpassing Osimhen’s heroics for Napoli.
The 31-year-old made his debut for Napoli in a seething Serie A clash against Parma on August 31, 2024. He led the charge as the Azzuri fought back from a goal down to secure a 2-1 win with two stoppage-time goals.
Lukaku opened the scoring for the home side, netting the equalizer in the 90+2nd minute before Anguissa scored the winner in the last touch of the game in the 90+6th minute.
In his second match, Lukaku was also on the score sheet as Napoli steamrollered to a thumping 4-0 away victory over Cagliari at the Sardegna Arena on Sunday, September 15, 2024.
Di Lorenzo had opened the scoring for the away side in the 18th minute before Kvicha Kvaratskhelia doubled the lead for the visitors six minutes after the hour-mark.
Romelu Lukaku scored the third goal of the game, extending the lead before Buongiorno completed the rout with a 90+3rd-minute strike.
From the foregoing, Romelu Lukaku has now scored in his first two matches for the Antonio Conte-led side. He will be in contention to lead the attack for the team again in their next fixture against Juventus in Turin on Saturday, September 21, 2024.
Can Romelu Lukaku Replace Victor Osimhen?
Romelu Lukaku is a rare forward who has kept up with his elite-level performance for over a decade now. The 31-year-old boasts a prolific goal-scoring record across top teams in the Premier League and the Serie A.
He has scored 98 Premier League goals across his spells with Chelsea, Everton, and Manchester United. His two goals for Napoli have now seen the player tally 72 Serie A goals in total from his spells with Roma and Inter Milan.
Meanwhile, Osimhen’s best campaign for Napoli was in the 2022-23 Serie A-winning campaign with the team. The reigning African Footballer of The Year netted a league-leading 26 goals to clinch the Golden Boot Award.
In all, Osimhen scored 65 Serie A goals for Napoli in his four-season spell with the club. Also, the Nigeria forward provided an assist on his debut for Galatasaray to prove his mettle and class.
The two footballers are arguably top-class strikers. Romelu Lukaku is poised to deliver the goods for Napoli and is more likely to perform as well as Osimhen for the club. However, it is too early to ascertain the extent to which he could replicate Osimhen’s heroics for the Neapolitans.
