Napoli head coach Gennaro Gattuso has indicated that the arrival of club record signing Victor Osimhen could see him alter his tactical approach for next season.
The Italian side who paid a club and African record €80m including add-ons to French club Lille for the 21-year-old this summer and Gattuso has already started planning on how best to utilise the striker to get the most of his abilities.
Under Gattuso, Napoli normally set up in a 4-3-3 formation with an attack line of diminutive trio Drees Mertens, Jose Callejon and Lorenzo Insigne, none of whom are out and out strikers.
Osimhen, meanwhile, played in a variety of formations at Lille including, as the arrowhead in a 4-3-3, as a lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 and part of a front two in a 4-2-2.
That versatility, Gattuso says, is an asset which will afford him the flexibility of playing a variety of styles next season.
“Victor Osimhen is a player who allows us to play differently,” Gattuso told a press conference at the club’s Castel di Sangro training camp.
“We can change our style of play with him in the side. He knows how to attack space and has a real physical presence.”
Napoli finished seventh in Serie A last season, their lowest league finish in years, and Gattuso confirmed their target next season is a return to the top four and UEFA Champions League football with Osimhen expected to score the goals that helps them achieve their objectives.
Osimhen scored 18 times in 38 games for Lille last season winning the club’s Player of the Year award and the Marc Vivien Foe award for the best African player in France.
He joined up with his new teammates on Monday and has already started impressing scoring a goal in his first training season.
He is due to face the press as a Napoli player for the first time on Wednesday.
