Gift Orban, Nigerian footballer racing after Osimhen to conquer Europe

The youngster did not take too long to settle in and on 11 February, Orban scored two goals on his Pro League debut in a 3–3 draw with…

Nigeria striker, Victor Osimhen, has been in the news for a while now for his potency in front of goal for Napoli in Serie A this season.

The former Lille of France mask man has netted 21 goals in 23 matches to help Napoli gun for the scudetto for the first time since the 1989–90 season.

The lanky 24-year-old forward has been so phenomenal that almost all the big clubs in Europe including Chelsea, PSG, Manchester United and Manchester City have already been linked with the prolific scorer. His transfer price tag is in the region of £150 million.

Nigeria also has in-form Samuel Chukwueze who is in La Liga with Villareal, causing havoc on opponents.

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On Saturday, he banged a screamer to complete his brace against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu and help his club to a 3-2 win.

It was his fifth goal in his last seven La Liga matches, with Chukwueze in the best form of his career to date.

New kid on the block

However, there is a new kid on the block who is busy painting Europe red with his goals. That wonder kid is Gift Emmanuel Orban who plays as a striker for the Belgian side, KAA Gent.

Born in Nigeria, Orban is of Togolese descent through his mother.

On January 31, 2023, Orban joined Belgian Pro League side Gent on a permanent deal.

The youngster did not take too long to settle in and on 11 February, Orban scored two goals on his Pro League debut in a 3–3 draw with Westerlo.

On March 12, Orban managed to score four goals in a 6–2 away win over Zulte Waregem, which made him the first player of Gent to do so in the 21st century.

Three days after, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 away win against İstanbul Başakşehir in the UEFA Europa Conference League Round 16.

The hat-trick was scored within three minutes and 25 seconds, setting a new record for the fastest hat-trick in UEFA club competitions, breaking the previous record of six minutes and 12 seconds held by Mohammed Salah in the Champions League.

In six appearances for Gent, Orban has netted nine goals while hitting 14 in 10 appearances in all competitions.

Orban was called up to Nigeria’s U23 national team for the Olympic qualifiers against Guinea last month but was prevented from honouring the invitation by Gent.

Orban’s style
What helps make Gift such a constant threat is his lightning-quick speed. According to scoutedftbl.com, he’s often left high up the pitch in order to maximise his threat toward the space behind. The capacity to make runs into depth is his big asset.

As a receiver, especially when in a bit of space, the Nigerian does a very good job of taking the ball on the turn and is keen to use his weaker foot to set himself going forward.

The 20-year-old is incredibly nimble and loves to run at pace, particularly through the middle during transitions. He weights his touches well in these cases, showcasing unrelenting speed, and can change direction with ease.

Defensively, Gift shows great enthusiasm to help the team suffocate the opposition. He does his best to drop back and provide an additional layer of protection

Orban also has his weaknesses. He struggles to withstand pressure. Not only is Orban easily outdone in shoulder-to-shoulder battles, but he doesn’t afford himself the platform to absorb pressure from behind either.

He’s often too square and too upright when trying to pin a defender, struggling to keep them at any kind of distance, and without the physical edge as of yet, Orban is easy to dispossess from behind.

That bleeds into a lack of confidence under pressure, possibly in line with his approach to not contesting tight channels, which means he steps back onto the ball more often and is less trusting of his chances to turn.

Shot selection is often an issue. Orban is arguably at his best when he doesn’t have to think about the chance coming his way – situations where he can just pull the trigger without letting opposition pressure factor into his setting touches.

Orban’s always got it
Orban’s talents have always been obvious for all to see. In November 2021, he was scouted by Stabæk’s Torgeir Bjarmann and Thomas Finstad in Nigeria during a showcase tournament arranged by agent Atta Aneke.
He trained with Stabæk during the winter of 2022 before returning after his visa expired. Returning to Norway, he signed for Stabæk in late May 2022. The transfer from Nigerian club Bison FC was a loan with an option to buy.

He scored his first goals in cup matches against semi-professional teams Notodden and Gjøvik-Lyn (twice). After this, he became a starting player for Stabæk. His goal against SK Brann was compared to Alanzinho’s time at Stabæk.

When Stabæk sold Oliver Valaker Edvardsen in July, the club announced they would spend the money on Orban’s buyout option. The contract tying Orban to Stabæk until the end of 2026 was announced on 3 August. He became the top scorer in the 2022 Norwegian First Division with 16 goals, alongside Bård Finne. Helping Stabæk win promotion to 2023 Eliteserien, Orban was also named Young Player of the Year in the First Division.

Orban is hot-cake
Orban’s goals have lifted KAA Gent to the top four of the Belgian league as well as the UEFA Europa Conference League quarterfinal.

Following his superlative performance at Gent since signing for the Belgian outfit in January, big clubs are already circling. Orban only cost KAA Gent €3m in January.

Italian journalist, Fabrizio Romano, recently tweeted that Orban could make a big move away from the Belgian Jupiler League in the summer transfer window.

His agent, Atta Aneke, has predicted a hot summer transfer for KAA Gent.

Aneke, who is also in charge of Victor Boniface of Union SG, was quoted by voetbalnieuws as saying that prominent European teams have made offers for both players.

He said: “I would be lying if I said there was no interest for them.

“It would be unusual if that weren’t the case. When you have two attackers of that calibre and every top team in Europe is seeking for a number nine. However, it is different from what we are doing right now. We let the clubs handle it.

“Clubs have shown interest, but no firm offers have been made yet. We aren’t speaking to anybody right now. But if no team made an attempt throughout the summer, everyone would be astonished.”

Orban has expressed his fondness for the English Premier League and KAA Gent could be tempted to sell their January arrival who is currently valued at €20m.

The target man does not feel he has arrived yet, he still wants to improve.

“My level has to be even higher if I ever want to play in the Premier League. There is still a lot of work to be done,” he said.

One will have to wait and see how things pan out during the summer transfer window but one thing is sure, Orban will go places.