Napoli forward Victor Osimhen has sacked his agent after he failed to secure a transfer to Chelsea or Al-Ahli.
Victor Osimhen dominated the 2024 summer transfer window in the final hours due to a dragging transfer saga.
Chelsea and Al-Ahli led the list of clubs who were interested in a move for the player. Napoli agreed terms with the two clubs but Osimhen failed to agree personal terms with the two clubs.
Victor Osimhen Agent Roberto Calenda’s role in the transfer saga
Osimhen would have agreed a deal with Al-Ahli to join the club but he preferred a move to Chelsea. After a dragging round of talks with Napoli over club terms for the player’s transfer, agreement were finally reached. The last stumbling block to Osimhen’s move to the Premier League was agreeing personal terms with the club.
Based on reports, Chelsea offered Osimhen a fraction of what he earned at Napoli and he rejected the offer. Meanwhile, amidst talks with Chelsea, Victor Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda came out public to state that Osimhen will not join Chelsea on loan with no buyout option.
While pushing for the best for the player, Calenda played a role in how the entire transfer process unfolded. First, suggestions were that Osimhen was wrongly advised to sign a new contract with Napoli with a €130m release clause.
The footballer’s original contract was set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. Based on permutations, Napoli would not have opted to lose the player on a free transfer and would have opted to sell him out at an affordable price to suitors.
It should be recalled PSG backed out of the move for Osimhen due to the release clause. Also, Chelsea expressed genuine interest in the player but opted for the loan move, which delayed talks due to the clause.
From the foregoing, Victor Osimhen’s agent, Calenda, seemed to have gotten his transfer plan for the player wrong, leading to the bedraggled saga.
Victor Osimhen sacks agent Roberto Calenda
According to reports from Italian outlets, Victor Osimhen has decided to part ways with Calenda following the failed transfer.
We reported earlier he has secured a loan transfer to Galatasaray in Turkey Super Lig. He personally negotiated the deal with the Turkish club by himself without Calenda. The decision to sack Calenda is linked to the transfer deadlock that nearly grounded the player’s career.
It is yet unclear when Osimhen started working with Calenda, but the pair were thrust into the spotlight following his move to the Serie A side in 2020. Calenda played a role in Victor Osimhen’s new contract with Napoli, including transfer negotiations this summer.
Roberto Calenda
Roberto Calenda is an Italian football agent. Calenda has worked with several footballers but was renowned for being the agent of the prolific Napoli forward.
Some of the players Roberto Calenda has worked with include Gerrard Yepes. Yepes, 28, plays as a midfielder for Serie A B club Sampdoria. He also worked with former legendary Brazil footballer Maicon, who called time on his career in July 2021, after a great career club and international career.
Apart from Victor Osimhen, Brazil center-back Juan Jesus is another Napoli player who is on the roster for his services.
