The Nigerian goal machine set to change clubs in June

He is the best Nigerian striker in the world, and he will not play in Serie B next season. Nwankwo Simy is having a season of a lifetime in Crotone and his 20 goals for Serie A's relegated club is a new record for a Nigerian striker in a single season in one of Europe's top leagues, as he overtook Yakubu's Aiyegbeni's 17 goals in the 2011-12 campaign for Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League. Umar Sadiq from Almeria is second with 18 goals.

African boy from Italy becomes the youngest-ever Serie A footballer

Nwankwo Simy’s 20 goal of the season was a late equalizer in Crotone’s 1-1 stalemate against Benevento, preventing the hosts to secure their Serie A survival. And the Nigerian is about to move from Crotone, since he is too good to play in Serie B, and his contract runs up next season. 

“I’ve been in Italy for five years, the toughest league in the world for a striker. Crotone is a fantastic place, the people and club have given me everything and this is the best moment of my career. I think now the time has come to give even more“ said the Nigerian.

The experienced striker arrived in Crotone in July 2016 from Gil Vicente for around 850,000 euros, and in the last three seasons, (two of which in Serie B), he scored 55 goals. The player and the club are aware that this is the golden opportunity for both parties to earn some serious money. Crotone’s sporting director Giuseppe Ursino already hinted that Simy could be sold, and reports say that the likes of Genoa, Sampdoria, Lazio, Milan and Udinese are already calling to ask about the price.

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The transfer to a stronger club would certainly appeal to Nigerian National team coach Gernot Rohr, who is constantly overlooking Simy when it comes to

"As I said before, I have never stopped following his performances, but I believe that next year he must go and play in a club and in a team that is stronger than Crotone. It will not be equally easy, but he would already have a better chance of returning to the national team" Rohr told website Europa Calcio.

Simy’s statistics from the begining of the year 2021 puts him with the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi, but he is still overlooked by Rohr, who prefers strikers Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Iheanacho from Leicester and Paul Onuachu from Genk, while Umar Sadiq and Odion Ighalo are also in the mix.

But it’s hard to believe that Rohr is totally fair to Simy, whose 29 goals erased the record set by compatriot Obafemi Martins (28 goals) - as the all-time leading Nigerian scorer in the Italian league.