Nigerian forward Gift Emmanuel Orban is focused on helping Hoffenheim avoid relegation in order to repay the confidence repose on him when the Bundesliga signed him in January.
The talented youngster made the switch during the winter transfer window to Germany from French Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyon where he was declared surplus to requirements after an off field action.
Despite limited game time, Orban has made an impact with his goal-scoring contributions and the Nigerian hinted that helping Hoffenheim to stay afloat beyond this season in the German Bundesliga is his immediate target and motivation.
“Hoffenheim is a good club, but in a tough spot right now,” Orban said in an interview with the club’s official website. “Many clubs approached me in the winter, but the management here showed me great respect and convinced me to join.”
“I want to score more goals and work hard to make sure we remain in the league.”
The Nigerian has scored four goals from 12 league games.
Nigeria’s Tolu Arokodare bagged his seventh goal of the season to help his Belgian side, Genk to a 1-1 draw away to KV Mechelen yesterday.
It was Arokodare’s first goal of the year since he scored twice in Genk’s 3-0 home win over Royal Antwerp on Boxing Day.
Arokodare opened the game’s account of goal in the 32nd minute in his 24th game of the season but the home team rallied back to equalise six minutes later through Rob Schoofs.
The share of the spoils lifted Genk to the sixth spot with 37 points from 25 matches.
In another Belgium Topflight fixture, out of favour Super Eagles midfielder, Chidera Ejuke put in a good shift as Royal Antwerp blitzed past home team, RWD Molenbeek 4-0.
Former Tottenham Hotspur defender, Toby Alderweireld scored twice from the penalty spot in the 15th and 63rd minutes while Vincent Janssen, another Tottenham Hotspur striker, netted in the 36th minute from Chidera Ejuke’s assist. Jacob Ondrejka also netted in 45th minute.
The 26-year-old featured in his 16th game of the season. He has two goals and was replaced in the 81st minute by his fellow compatriot, Victor Udoh who got his third game of the season.
George Ilenikhena and Super Eagles midfielder, Alhassan Yusuf are the other Nigerians in the Royal Antwerp’s team.
In France, Gift Orban bagged his third French Ligue One game since his move Lyon before the end of the winter transfer in his club’s 2-1 away win at Montpellier.
Akor Adams also played for Montpellier in the game but he was unable to add to his seven league goals from 20 games.
Arnaud Nordin scored first for the home team in the 23rd minute but two late goals through Alexandre Lacazette and Maxence Caqueret in the 74th and 83rd minutes handed Lyon all maximum points.
Lyon are 13th with 22 points from 21 games.
Orban replaced Lacazette in the 88th minute but was yellow carded two minutes later.
The Nigerian had scored one of Lyon’s two goals on Wednesday in their 2-1 win over Lille in the Round of 16 of the Coupe de France.
He will hope to be in Lyon’s squad when they host OGC Nice on Friday in a French Ligue One tie.
In Germany, Kevin Akpoguma was a second half introduction in Hoffenheim’s 1-1 home draw against FC Cologne.
Hoffenheim who are still seeking their first win of the year in the league needed a stoppage time goal through their talisman, Andrej Kramaric in the fourth minute of the additional time. He equalised Max Finkgrafe’s 79th minute strike for the visitors, Cologne.
Akpoguma played his 12th Bundesliga game of the season when he was subbed on in the 68th minute as Pavel Kaderabek’s replacement.
Besides Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and, most recently, Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface, no other Nigerian striker has commanded a huge followership than Gent’s striker Gift Orban who has been painting the Belgian Jupiler League and Europe with hatful of goals. In an exclusive interview, the 21-year-old striker with an astonishing five hat tricks so far in 2023, shares the magic of his goal scoring form with Sports Editor, MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.
He plays his football with uncommon zest, full of running energy and no wonder, Gent’s Nigerian striker Gift Emmanuel Orban has admitted being bowled over by the all-action style of Chelsea legend Didier Drogba.
Speaking in his frankest interview yet, the 21-year-old added that the erstwhile Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire captain, who partly made Chelsea favourites of most Nigerians, actually made a huge impression on him during his growing up years.
“I grew up watching Drogba; he was a huge motivator,” the Benue State-born striker, with affinity to Togo, told NationSport.“ I loved his (Drogba) style of play and passion.
“He was passionate about the game and was a good goal scorer. I learnt a lot from watching him as a kid, and I have since adopted some of his goal scoring skills to my game.”
To say Orban is a proven goal scorer is perhaps stating the obvious, because he has shown time and time again that he can actually score goals in anybody’s company.
“One year ago, he was playing for a club that you can’t even find on Google. Now, it’s just going crazy,” Samuel Cardenas, head of scouting at Gent, told The Athletic in April. “He really is a top professional, and he’s really focused.
“He’s only been in Europe for 12 months but he eats well, he sleeps well, he knows what to do. He has his goals and he’s staying on the ground. I’ve been really impressed by it.
“We knew that he was really competitive, but now, in person, seeing him there every day, it’s even better than expected. He’s a guy who wants to win everything. He gets pissed (off) when he doesn’t win, which is good.”
Indeed, Orban’s proficiency in front of the goal post since his arrival in Europe, first at Norwegian side, Stabaek, before he blossomed at Belgian Jupiler side, Gent, has been nothing but phenomenal.
Reportedly scouted in November 2012 by Stabaek’s Torgeir Bjarmann and Thomas Finstad during a tournament in Nigeria, he underwent training at the club before eventually being signed by Stabaek in late May 2022.The transfer from Nigerian club Bison was a loan with an option to buy.
With time, he became the top scorer in the 2022 Norwegian First Division with 16 goals, alongside Bård Finne, as he helped Stabaek win promotion to 2023 Eliteserien, and was deservedly named Young Player of the Year in the First Division.
“I had amazing memories at Stabaek, it was all great,” he said with a breathy thrill. “I had a lot of memories, but I will take this one as my greatest memory; that was when I scored the winning goal that took us from second division to the first division.
“I am honoured to be part of such historic moment and also to contribute to the history. I will take scoring the goal that confirmed our promotion as my best memory (with Stabaek),” he noted.
Orban joined Belgian Pro League side Gent in January of 2023 and scored a brace on his debut in a 3–3 draw with Westerlo and hugged the headlines across Europe when he scored four goals – all coming in the second half-in a 6–2 away win over Zulte Waregem, which made him the first Gent player to do so in the 21st century. He would enter the record books yet again by 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 after he scored a first-half hat-trick within three minutes and 25 seconds in 4–1 away win over İstanbul Basaksehir in the UEFA Europa Conference League round 16.
On the last count and as at November 12, Orban has scored an astonishing 50 goals in 66 career appearances including a remarkable five hat tricks this year alone.
According to Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, and as reported by All Nigeria Soccer, Orban has scored more hat-tricks than Manchester City’s goal machine Erling Haaland in 2023.
In November, he netted his fifth hat-tricks of this calendar year in Gent’s 3-2 win over Breidablik Kópavogur in a Europa Conference League clash at the Laugardalsvöllur (Reykjavík). Prior to the trip to Iceland, Orban had managed to score three goals or more in four games, against Basaksehir FK and Pogon Szczecin in European competition, plus Zulte Waregem and Cercle Brugge in the Jupiler Pro League.
While Norway international Haaland has scored three goals or more in the same four times at Manchester City this calendar year – three hat-tricks in games against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fulham and Burnley, and five goals against RB Leipzig in the Champions League.
“God has been wonderful to me since I arrived in Europe,” Orban said after being pressed about his goal scoring secrets.
“Hard work has been my watchword. I know I have to work hard because there is no shortcut to success without hard work.
“I remain focused and I won’t compromise on working hard. I have also got good people around me, I think I have the best people around me to support and motivate me.
“Kudos to Stabaek and Genk, they ensure I settled down with the right conditions.
“In all, I am grateful to God; without God, nothing will be possible.”
Of course, and as people say, ‘the heavens help those who help themselves’, and Orban would be the first to admit that he thrives under challenges, adding that playing with Genk has sharpened his scoring instincts.
“The challenge (of playing in Norway and Belgium) is the same, the environment is the same, organisation is the same,” he admitted. “But in Belgium, I am playing for the biggest club with huge history.
“The pressure in Belgium is on a high, we are competing to win laurels and do well in Europe. I am enjoying the experience.”
Of course, Orban’s growing profile and scoring prowess has not gone unnoticed and he has recently been a subject of several transfer speculations with a possible move to the English Premier League with Tottenham Hotspurs after registering an incredible 20 goals in 22 games last season.
Yet he has continued his fine form this term and has six goals in nine games to his name in 2023/24 and should he continue to find the net between now and January, his name will continue to feature in the headlines, regarding a move to one of Europe’s top clubs.
But he remains unperturbed, saying: “My focus right now is Belgium and Gent, I will leave the media to do their job and speculate. Of course, I want to grow and achieve my big dreams and I am working every day to reach my dreams. I can play in any country and for any club. The game is the same everywhere and it’s all about the game for me.”
Though Orban, a confessed lover of Asake and Burna Boy, did not make the final list of players for the 2023 CAF Youth Player of the Year at next Monday’s Awards Gala in Morocco, he admitted being in the initial list of 10 was a big encouragement to his bustling career.
“I feel honoured to have been nominated (initially), it is a challenge and it means, I have to do more,” he admitted. “I have to continue working hard, the only way to stardom.”
Yet for all his knack for scoring goals, Orban has yet to make his long–awaited debut for the Super Eagles amid speculations that he would probably turn up for Togo on account of his mother’s nativity.
“I love my country (Nigeria), and the first time I was in the camp, it was all love and care from everyone,” he said, as he parried the option of turning off playing for Togo. “I want to play for my father’s country and I am looking forward to the right time.
“We have many amazing strikers and I will wait for my time.
“This (possibility of playing for Togo) is not true; my dream is to play for my father’s country, Nigeria, and that has always been my dream.
“I have a lot of respect for Togo and the people and I love my mom as well, but Nigeria is my country and I am looking forward to my debut in the future,” he said with an air of finality.
Of course, all ‘football and no play’ can make Orban a dull striker, but he quipped about his undying love for the beautiful game even as he shared his romance with music.
“I have always loved football,” he noted. “I would not have liked any other sport apart from football.
“I enjoy football and that is the only sport I love.
“But as for my favourite artistes, it’s Burna Boy and Asake. They have inspirational lyrics; I listen to them a lot before and after my game,” he revealed.
German Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt could sign Super Eagles forward Gift Orban as a replacement for Randal Kolo Muani, who left for PSG in a deal worth €95million (₦100billion), Soccernet reports.
Orban has been a revelation since his €3.3million from Stabaek to Gent in January this year. The 21-year-old forward has registered 26 goals and two assists in 33 appearances for the Buffalos. In fact, he has arguably been the best player at Gent since the turn of the year.
Following his performances he has been linked with some top clubs in Europe albeit he has constantly iterated his desire to play in the Premier League.
Tottenham, were heavily linked with Orban in the summer, but a deal failed to take place as Spurs opted for Brennan Johnson instead.
Meanwhile, the young striker could be on his way to Germany because Eintracht Frankfurt are interested in him. The Bundesliga club are searching for a replacement for Kolo Muani, who left for PSG in the summer, and Orban is one of their options.
The stumbling block for the deal could be Gent’s price-tag. They may demand up to €30million for the former Stabaek man.
Gent coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck has said transfer speculations affected Gift Orban, but in the end the striker was not disappointed that he did not move.
“I didn’t notice any disappointment from him after missing out on a transfer,” said the Gent coach. “He does realise that he will have to fight for his place, and that is good.
“Of course you felt that those transfer issues played a role (in affecting his performance).
“Gift is young, still needs to grow up. He also needs to get back to his best.”
Gift Orban has netted 26 goals in all competitions since January for the top Belgian club.
His goals have sparked off interest from top clubs across Europe with latest reports suggesting that French Ligue 1 club Lille were the most concrete destination for the newly invited Super Eagles ace.
However, a transfer to Lille was only going to happen were they to have sold Canada international striker Jonathan David, who eventually did not move.
Linked with a whole host of players across the summer, a number of Tottenham fans were hoping that the club’s interest in Gent ace Gift Orban would materialise into a permanent move. That wasn’t to be the case, however, with the Nigerian hotshot remaining with the Belgian club beyond the summer transfer deadline.
Instead, Tottenham struck a deal worth £47.5million with Nottingham Forest for Brennan Johnson, who is in line to make his Spurs debut on Saturday afternoon against Sheffield United. Despite Tottenham bolstering their attack with the addition of the Wales international, many supporters will be hoping that Orban remains on the club’s radar going on his prolific form in front of goal since his move to Gent.
Valued at £17million by Transfermarkt, Gent will be hoping to get a lot more money for the 21-year-old if he is to eventually to depart. Said to be wanting at least €30million (£25.7million) for Orban if he was to be sold in the summer.
Gent’s chief executive Michel Louwagie has questioned why Belgian sides aren’t able to bring in big transfer fees for talented players whereas clubs such as Ajax in the Netherlands have sold their players on for huge sums of money.
It remains uncertain if the new Super Eagles invitee, Gift Orban, will be available for the 2023 African Cup of Nations Qualifying tie against Sao Tome and Principe on Sunday after he was subbed off barely 20 minutes after his second half introduction in Gent’s 2-1 home win over Club Brugge yesterday.
In a game his compatriot, Jordan Torunarigha played 90 minutes, Orban was introduced in the 64th minute as Tarik Tissoudali’s replacement but the former Stabaek forward was replaced again in the 84th minute by Ismael Kandouss as 10 man Gent managed to beat the former Belgian league champions before their fans.
It is still unclear if Orban will report to the Eagles camp and submit himself to further tests to know if the complaint that led to his early substitution will be enough to rule him out of the game.
Hyeon-seok Hong was the hero of the game with his sensational double in the 24th and 48th minutes while Hans Vanaken got what turned out to be a consolation goal in the 42nd minute.
The win has taken Gent to the top of the Jupiler League with 13 points after five games.
