“He is a locker room man”- Ex-Napoli striker reveals what made Antonio Conte replace Osimhen with Lukaku

Former Napoli striker Emanuele Calaio believes Antonio Conte chose Romelu Lukaku over Victor Osimhen due to the Belgian’s leadership qualities.

Conte took over the helms of affairs at Napoli last summer and he made some big changes to the team. Stars like Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were set to leave after impressive campaigns, but Napoli managed to hold on to the latter.

Osimhen, on the other hand, dominated most of the transfer news as he was linked to some of the biggest clubs in Europe like Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, and PSG. In the end, he was unable to get his big move.

However, Conte did not accept the Nigerian back into the team as Osimhen was frozen out of the squad. Rather, Conte put his trust in Lukaku, who joined from Chelsea. This ensured that Osimhen had to leave for Galatasaray.

Now, in a recent development, former Napoli striker Calaio believes Conte chose Lukaku over Osimhen due to the Belgian’s attitude.

“Osimhen is stronger than Lukaku, but Conte evidently chose the Belgian because he is a locker room man, a leader,  Calaio said, per Napoli Magazine.

“Have you seen what he did with Monza? It was clear from the TV, he always encouraged his teammates, he guided them.

Then he won’t go to the national team for the second time, it’s not for everyone, it’s a clear signal, he is a player who has put himself completely at the disposal of his teammates and Napoli.”

Napoli don’t seem to he missing Osimhen, as Lukaku has had a good start to the campaign. He has already nicked two goals in his first five appearances.