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By Ebenezer Bajela.
Liverpool’s new sporting director Jorg Schmadtke has admitted he regrets selling Napoli striker Victor Osimhen during his developing stage at Wolfsburg.
Both Osimhen and Schmadtke were together with Bundesliga giants Wolfsburg.
The Nigerian was not quite the ruthless striker that he has developed into currently and after going 16 games without a goal with the German side where he had just begun his professional career, he was allowed to join Belgian club Charleroi on a season-long loan where he flourished with 20 goals in all competitions during the 2018/19 campaign.
Following his impressive performance with Charleroi, the club activated their £3m option to sign him.
The 24-year-old would be on the move once more just weeks later as Lille swooped with a £19m deal.
Now one of the most highly rated strikers in Europe, the 59-year-old admitted he had regretted over cashing in so soon on the Nigerian.
Speaking to Kicker, he said, “It wasn’t a good move, in hindsight. When I came, he [Osimhen] was limping and running in circles.
“I was told that the strikers we had weren’t good enough. The most important lesson is that you have to be patient with some transfers.”
The former Hannover 96, FC Koln and Wolfsburg chief is set to replace Julian Ward at Anfield in the summer and will be tasked with spearheading the Reds’ operations in the transfer market this summer following a less impressive season.
Schmadtke will hope to sign Osimhen, who has been tipped to ply his trade in the English Premier League next season.
Before joining Napoli in 2020, Osimhen was courted by some top European clubs and Liverpool were among those interested but eventually lost the Nigerian to the Serie A champions, who according to Giandomenico Costi, a former collaborator Napoli’s Director of Football, Cristiano Giuntoli, had to apply unconventional means to persuade the Nigeria international to reject the English club.