Osimhen risks a fine after clash with coach: 'What was said stays between us'

Napoli, under the helm of Garcia, is far from firing on all cylinders, and against Bologna, the reigning Italian champions suffered another loss of points in Serie A. After 72 minutes, Osimhen had a golden opportunity to put the visitors ahead at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, but the striker failed from the spot.

Garcia decided to substitute Osimhen four minutes from time, bringing in Giovanni Simeone to try and snatch a victory in Bologna. The forward was clearly unhappy with the substitution and did not hold back his feelings. An upset Osimhen got into a verbal altercation with Garcia, and the discussion was said to have continued in the dressing room after the match, involving captain Giovanni di Lorenzo as well.

The French coach, who took over from Luciano Spalletti last season, didn't want to divulge much about the verbal clash with Osimhen post-match. 'What we said to each other remains between us,' Garcia told the Italian media. 'I explained to Victor why I substituted him, as I wasn't pleased with how we were playing as a team. We have other options on the bench. It had nothing to do with the missed penalty. Such things happen to the best players.'

The Italian newspaper, Il Mattino, reports that Napoli is considering imposing a fine on Osimhen, who has scored three times in five league matches this season. Kvicha Kvaratskhelia recently also expressed his discontent with a substitution decision by Garcia. The Georgian, who hasn't scored this season, was visibly upset during an away game against Genoa earlier this month. Kvaratskhelia hasn't played a full ninety minutes in Serie A this season for the current seventh-placed side.