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Claim: Galatasaray’s head coach criticises Antonio Conte over Victor Osimhen’s return to Napoli.
Verdict: False. There are no reports from credible sports outlets about Buruk’s alleged statements against Conte. Besides, Osimhen was only loaned to the Turkish side without the option of moving permanently.
Full Text
Nigerian international Victor Osimhen was loaned to Turkish side Galatasaray in a last-minute deal last summer. Chelsea and Al-Ahli disagreed with the Italian side, Napoli, about the 26-year-old’s future.
The Napoli loanee, who has netted 26 goals for Galatasaray so far, initially signed a deal with Napoli in 2020 that ensures he remains with the Italian side until 2026. However, after not being included in Antonio Conte’s plans for the 2024/2025 season despite his magnificent contributions to the club, which got Napoli its first Scudetto after 33 years in 2023, the Nigerian striker grabbed a late move to Turkey. He would play for Galatasaray until the end of the season.
Against this development, a Facebook handle, Nigerian News- Headlines Today, claims that Galatasaray’s head coach, Okan Buruk, has allegedly slammed Conte over Osimhen’s contract with Galatasaray. The former player-turned-coach fumed at Conte for desiring to have the one-time African player of the year back at Napoli.
“Worse still, you expressed disdain for Osimhen, claiming he had no future at Napoli and even threatened to ruin his career. Yet now you want him back?” The Turkish allegedly ranted.
Buruk also told his Napoli counterpart that Osimhen feels at home in Turkey, and Galatasaray will only help him improve.
“Let me clear: Victor Osimhen has found a new family in Galatasaray, and we’re committed to helping him thrive,” he allegedly said.
As of Monday, March 17, 2025, the Facebook post has attracted a measly seven likes, zero comments, and shared only once.
To forestall disinformation, DUBAWA decided to verify the Facebook post.
Verification
DUBAWA did a Google keyword search for the Turkish’s statements to Conte but found no similar comments from Galatasaray’s coach. Moreover, we discovered that no credible news outlet (international or local) has reported or linked the alleged statements to Buruk.
Besides, in January 2025, Galatasaray indicated they wanted to buy Osimhen on a permanent deal, but Napoli refused the Turkish side’s purchasing fee of €65 million. The bid was €10 million short of Napoli’s release clause of €75 million, so Napoli’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, “kindly declined” the offer and decided to wait until the 2025 summer transfer window.
However, despite the bid rejection, Galatasaray did not report bitter resentment toward its European counterpart in Italy.
Moreover, Osimhen’s temporal move to Turkey does not include the option for Galatasaray to buy him on a permanent deal.
Conclusion
The claim is false. No evidence shows that Galatasaray’s head coach made the alleged statements.
