Inter are seriously following George Osrzehmen Ilenikhena, but the Antwerp striker is expensive and already has many admirers
Ausilio had shown interest in George Ilenikhena already last summer. It seems that Inter had offered 4 million to Amiens to buy him. The French thought about it for a few hours, but then the offer from Antwerp came to them, from 6 millionand so the Frenchman born in 2006 of Nigerian origins ended up in Belgium.
There the boy, despite his youth and inexperience, soon managed to establish himself as a functional prospect. He started scoring in the league and in the national cup. Then, last December, he also scored in the Champions League, against Barcelona (becoming the youngest French goalscorer ever in the Champions League). And from then on it was a crescendo. As a result, the 17-year-old’s market value nearly quadrupled.
In France and Belgium they have long nicknamed him “the new Osimhen”. Beyond their common origins, the Napoli striker and the young Ilenikhena have the role in common: they are two number 9s who love attacking depth and possessing high speed and physical strength.
Obviously Osimhen reveals better finishing skills, he has much more quality in elevating and managing the ball. But also Ilenikhena not lacking in technique: the boy knows how to touch the ball, apply power to shots, dribble and shows coolness in front of the goal.
Ilenikhena is worth 20 million?
The left-handed boy could continue to grow as a physical striker, improving his technique and maturing tactically. For now he shines thanks to instinct, to speed of movementsto the intelligence with which he knows how to distance himself.
He hasn’t played very many minutes: he only started from 1 on 6 occasions, but he already has 8 goals in the league. He scored another 6 goals between the Belgian Cup and the Champions League. And this means that Ilenikhena manages to clock in with extreme ease: he scores a goal every 100 minutes.
When you have to fight and push your shoulders, no one stops him: In melee situations he resembles Thuram a bit. Like the Frenchman he manages to get in front of goal without difficulty, but compared to the Inter player he reveals a more marked instinct as a finisher. He focuses a lot on speed and acceleration, while he suffers a bit in the management of high balls and close passes.
The boy is one meter eighty five tall: he is not a colossus, but he knows how to use his body well. He loves to receive long and deep balls, and is not afraid to carry on the action alone. In Antwerp, he often finds himself alone against the deployed defence, and he does his best to defend the ball, moving back, spreading wide on the wing, or targeting the man.
The defects of the profile followed by Ausilio
The negative aspects are related to immaturity. On certain occasions he seems more attracted by the personal number than by the functional play. Here, he can give in to a little too much frivolity, and look for the most complicated solution just for the sake of surprising. Every now and then he misses easy stops. It also ends too many times offside.
Faced with such talents, the question is always the same: will he be able to confirm himself and improve his game by transforming himself into a champion? For now he can be considered a brilliant prospect, strong when it comes to finding spaces between defenders and moving quickly behind the opposing rearguard. Get it last year at 4 million it would have been a big hit.
But it is not certain that in Italy, perhaps on loan to a lower-ranking team, he would have done the same. Spending 20 million or more this summer could be risky. Above all, the deal promises to be complicated, given that many Premier clubs already seem ready to enter. Above all Tottenham.
