Football star Victor Osimhen has clarified that recent comments made by Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle regarding his club future were taken out of context and sensationalized by sections of the media.
Speaking after Nigeria successfully retained the Unity Cup title in London, Chelle explained that Osimhen was omitted from the upcoming international friendlies against Poland and Portugal to allow him focus on resolving his club future amid increasing transfer speculation.
“For now, we have two games against Poland and Portugal, and I have lots of problems because some players have visa issues, players like Samson Tijani and Abdullahi Yusuf,” Chelle said.
“But most importantly, we miss two players because Victor Osimhen may be about to change club, so I prefer he stays at home because if he plays and is not at 100 percent, it is not good.
“For Lookman, he is very tired and Atletico asked us to excuse him. We will travel with 18 players and we will see what happens after Poland and Portugal.”
However, reacting to the widespread interpretation of the coach’s remarks, Osimhen dismissed suggestions of any controversy and stressed that Chelle’s comments had been misunderstood.
“I just got off the phone with coach Eric Chelle regarding the comments about me in his recent interview,” Osimhen wrote on Instagram.
“Unfortunately, his words have been taken out of context and blown out of proportion. He has great respect for Galatasaray, follows most of our games, and never intended to create any controversy.
“I appreciate the conversation, the opportunity to represent my country, and I look forward to continuing to work with him.
“He is a great coach whom I respect a lot, and I kindly ask everyone to disregard the speculations surrounding this matter. Thank you for your consistent support.”
Osimhen’s statement appears to have put an end to speculation surrounding Chelle’s remarks, reaffirming the strong working relationship between the Nigerian striker and the national team coach.
