Major Premier League Clubs chase after the signature of the sizzling speedy Nigerian forward
By Ed Emeanua
One of the hottest Nigerian players in the summer transfer market is Gift Orban and Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, and Fulham-all of them Premier League clubs-who should be wise to this fact, are now conjoined in the mad race to sign the sizzling KAA Gent striker.
Though, not even capped by Nigeria, but the 20-year-old who has consistently turned heads in the Belgian Jupiler League this season, is now under the searchlight of major Premier League sides.
Yet, very little of this latest sensation was known less than a year ago before his unnoticed move to the Belgian side in January, where he’s found the net 19 times in equal number of games in all competitions.
Significantly, 14 of his strikes came from only 13 league games, catapulting his modest Belgian side to fifth placing in the country’s major Professional League term.
Before now, Orban was only being tutored in Norway’s second tier outfit Stabaek where he scored 19 goals in 24 matches the previous year.
In his remarkable short spell under Belgian football skies, so far the Nigerian forward has also thrown in another five goals in six Europa Conference League games this season to Gent’s sensational season, as well as being credited with scoring the quickest hat-trick in the history of UEFA club championships by scoring 3 times within 205 seconds in Gent’s 4-1 pre-quarterfinals bashing of Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir.
Another recent hattrick against Cercle Brugge, further attests to Orban’s resilience, consistency and reliability as a major marksman and striker of reckon.
The Nigerian’s striking qualities are his blazing speed and the remarkable suave striker’s instinct to always turn up in the right place at the correct time -major requirements for prospective Premier League forward liners-the combination of physicality and natural endowment that should serve him very well should he opt for life in snazzy English football.
No wonder then that the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, and Fulham, have all taken notice, and sent recruiters to Belgian to scout Orban.
The Evening Standard, reports that Man United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham join some clubs who have asked scouts to keep tabs on Orban this term.
In addition, the report claims that Gent would only listen to ‘huge’ deals for the Nigerian, who is to tied to the Ghelamco Arena through summer 2027.
Orban has also been reported to be very contented with his situation at Gent and is enthusiastic to maintain his growth in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League before pondering a transfer to another clime.
Erik ten Hag is ambitious to hire a world-class striker and a midfielder to his Man United side this term should Old Trafford capture Champions League football qualification for the upcoming season.
Meanwhile, it is being rumored that Nigeria manager José Peseiro will hand the forward his first Nigeria senior team callup in Super Eagles’ Africa Cup of Nations qualifying games in June and September.
According to Soccernet, Orban is in Peseiro’s list for the game against Sierra Leone in June, and São Tomé and Príncipe in September after the manager completed a highly rewarding scouting visit of Belgium.
The forward initially turned down the call-up to country’s the Olympic Eagles in March citing earlier club commitments as his reason.
