Tottenham were unable to make their dominance count at Brentford on Sunday, though it wasn’t for want of trying. Ange Postecoglou’s side mustered 18 shots in total in west London, six of which were on target. However, that defenders Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal were the ones to get the goals in the 2-2 draw is an early cause for concern.
Despite wracking up the efforts on goal, the north London outfit lacked the cutting edge Harry Kane would have brought to the team. A host of strikers have been linked with a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the coming weeks with Romelu Lukaku and Dusan Vlahovic the star names.
Yet Spurs are believed to be monitoring Gift Orban with a view to securing the Nigerian’s services sooner rather than later. The 21-year-old made history last season as he scored the quickest hat-trick in Uefa club competition history when he netted three times in the space of just three minutes and 25 seconds against Istanbul Basaksehir.
It’s a remarkable feat in itself, but all the more so when you consider that, at the end of 2022, Orban was turning out for Norwegian second tier side Stabæk.
Some players may need time to acclimitise to their new surroundings following a high profile move, yet Orban took to the Belgian Jupiler Pro League with ease, scoring 16 goals and providing a further two assists across 1395 minutes of game time for the Belgian powerhouse last season. A goal involvement every 77.5 minutes since his arrival is certainly not to be scoffed at, and a better return than Jupiler Pro League alumni and compatriot Victor Osimhen.
This season alone, Orban has scored five goals in four games for Gent, including another Europa Conference League hat-trick as he put Pogon Szczecin to the sword earlier this month. Evidently, Spurs have seen enough in Orban to convince them to seriously consider a move for the talented frontman as they look to spend the Kane money wisely. That’s understandable when you appreciate that the youngster is exactly the sort of forward that would benefit from playing under Postecoglou.
As was clear at Celtic, Postecoglou likes his leading striker to come alive in the opposition box. Kyogo Furuhashi did little both on and off the ball until the Bhoys pushed forward. It was then that the Japan international ruthlessly put defences to the sword. Indeed, Furuhashi ended last season with an average of a goal every 4.9 touches inside the opposition box, while 27.3% of his overall touches came in the penalty area.
Orban’s pace and ability inside the box could be just what Spurs need to replace Harry Kane— (Belga/AFP via Getty Images)
Orban offers a similar approach in that he maximises his goalscoring ability in the box. Of the 76 players to have scored five or more goals since the start of the 2022/23 Jupiler Pro League, the young frontman is scoring a league goal every 5.9 touches inside the opposition box, the eighth best return. He’s more active outside of the penalty area than Furuhashi, with 15.5% of his overall touches coming outside the box, but again excels when provided with the chances inside the 18-yard area having scored 13 of his 16 goals in this part of the pitch.
He’s lightening-quick off the mark, too, so with the creative stars at Postecoglou’s disposal willing to play balls either over the top of defences or pry backlines open with a through ball executed to perfection, Orban would thrive when making runs off the last defender. That being said, he is still incredibly raw and won’t join to immediately displace Richarlison as Spurs’ starting striker.
While the Brazilian wasn’t at his best at Brentford, he’s arguably a better fit as the leading striker in a Postecoglou system than Kane. The club will be keen to see a return on their big money investment in Richarlison, and he’ll be the main striker for the weeks and months to come as Alejo Veliz and Orban, should a deal for the latter come to fruition, get up to speed with English football and Postecoglou’s demands.
It’s clear that Spurs have identified a specific profile of striker in order to appease Postecoglou and bring in the players that will suit his system. Orban, while in need of refining, certainly fits the bill and if Spurs can get this deal over the line, then they will have secured the services of a striker who is very much on the right path to superstardom.
