Didier Drogba left Chelsea in 2012. They have tried everyone since. Emmanuel Petit, who played for both Chelsea and Arsenal, has now said publicly that Victor Osimhen is the player who finally ends the wait.
Speaking on Andy’s Bet Club, Petit was direct about what the problem is and who solves it.
“Since Drogba, I think there’s been a curse around the number nine at Chelsea. I think it’s different with Osimhen because this guy has a really big personality and character. He could be the man to break that curse.”
Petit went further, explaining specifically why Osimhen’s profile fits the demands of Stamford Bridge in a way the others did not. Nigerian fans who want to follow Osimhen’s summer transfer situation and Galatasaray’s title win today can use Bet9ja’s YOHAIG welcome offer before the final Super Lig fixtures.
“The way he plays on the pitch is a pain for defenders. This guy is very aggressive. He has something to prove. After he left France for Napoli, he did great in Italy. But then he was fighting with the president of Napoli, and then he went to Galatasaray. I think Osimhen has many seasons to play at the highest level. So I think that could be something very, very good for the Premier League. I think he has the character, the personality, and the background to play in the Premier League.”
Petit also admitted he was surprised Osimhen chose Galatasaray over England when he left Napoli.
“Victor Osimhen is doing well with Galatasaray but when he left Napoli, I was hoping that he was going to come to the Premier League. I have no idea why he chose Galatasaray.”
The answer is now clear: he has said it himself — he found a home in Istanbul. Whether he leaves this summer is a different question. Bet9ja’s Chelsea betting page carries the latest on all Chelsea transfer rumours ahead of the summer window.
Chelsea’s No.9 Curse: The Full Record
Drogba scored 164 Premier League goals for Chelsea across two spells. The search for his heir has been expensive and largely unsuccessful.
Fernando Torres: £50 million, 45 goals in 172 appearances. Alvaro Morata: £70 million, 16 goals in 47 appearances. Gonzalo Higuain: loan, 5 goals in 18 appearances. Timo Werner: £47.5 million, 10 league goals in two seasons. Romelu Lukaku: £97.5 million, 15 goals before his loan departure. Kai Havertz and Christopher Nkunku both tried and moved on. The club has since signed Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, but the starting centre-forward position remains unsettled. Osimhen’s record for Galatasaray, 20 goals this season and 57 in total since joining, is the kind of productivity the list above failed to consistently provide. Bet9ja’s YOHAIG promo code is available for fans who want to follow Osimhen’s transfer situation through the summer.
📌 Did You Know?
- Emmanuel Petit won the 1998 FIFA World Cup with France and the Premier League and FA Cup double with Arsenal in 1997-98, before spending a season at Chelsea in 2001-02, giving him direct experience of both clubs he references in his assessment of Osimhen.
- Didier Drogba scored 164 Premier League goals for Chelsea across his two spells at the club, including the equaliser and the decisive penalty in the 2012 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, cementing his status as one of the greatest strikers in Premier League history.
- Chelsea’s transfer expenditure on centre-forwards since Drogba’s departure in 2012 totals well over £350 million across multiple signings, making the No.9 position the most expensive single positional recruitment challenge in the club’s modern history.
- Petit revealed he had been tracking Osimhen since his time at LOSC Lille in France, where the Nigerian striker scored 13 goals in 38 appearances between 2019 and 2020 before his £62 million move to Napoli, suggesting the endorsement is based on years of observation rather than recent form alone.
- Chelsea previously came close to signing Osimhen before his permanent move to Galatasaray, but collapsed the deal over wages, reportedly offering approximately a third of the €290,000 weekly salary he eventually secured at the Turkish club.
- Osimhen’s aggressive playing style, cited by Petit as a key attribute, is reflected in his statistics: he averages more aerial duels, physical challenges and pressing actions per 90 minutes than any other striker currently linked with Chelsea.
- Galatasaray win the Super Lig title today if they beat Samsunspor at the Rams Park, a result that would give Osimhen his first league title as a player and potentially his final contribution to Turkish football before a summer transfer.
