The head coach of runaway leaders in the Italian Serie A Napoli Luciano Spalletti has revealed that Nigeria international forward Victor Osimhen isn’t the teams designated penalty taker despite the player chasing the top scorer award with 15 goals so far.
Luciano Spalletti has been pressed to address the issue of who is the designated penalty taker of the team and ahead of the game against Cremonense he decided to end the debate on who has the role of taking spot kicks for the team.
Osimhen is well on course to finish as top scorer in the league, which will be the first time an African player will be winning the gong, and many believe taking penalties will no doubt increase his chances of making history with Napoli favorite to win the title.
Spalletti said Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the designated penalty taker ahead of other players but he didn’t sound like Osimhen is among. This is a departure from his statement in August last year when he handed penalty duties to the 23 year old.
Is Kvaratskhelia the penalty taker? “Yes, but there are others. I saw that they were talking today too, but since he’s an available boy today I didn’t want him to be available as usual”.
Just before the start of the season, the official Twitter handle of the team confirmed Osimhen as the designated penalty taker with a post on social media shortly after his penalty goal in their final pre season game against Mallorca which ended 1-1.
” Osimhen!!! 1-0. But the most important thing: He’s gonna be out penalty kicker this season”. An announcement heralding him as the successor to Lorenzo Insigne who left the club last summer for Major League Soccer side Toronto FC.
This hasn’t been the case so far with Napoli crushing as league leader with a healthy 13 points gap between them and second placed Inter Milan. There lead hasn’t been helped by the fact that they have won their last five games in a row.
Mohammed Mowiz
