Tottenham may be patting themselves on the back over their decision to not sign Gift Orban in the summer as he is now ‘experiencing major problems’ at AA Gent.
Voetbal Nieuws cover the striker today and how he his performances so far have resulted in ‘significantly reduced playing time and goals’.
They explain how the striker, who was the toast of Europe last season and linked with a big money move in the summer, is now going through a rough patch under manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck.
According to them, Vanhaezebrouck focused on ‘energetic and high-intensity football’ and the growing belief is that the Nigerian no longer fits in the team or with the direction they’re heading in.
He’s currently third in the pecking order, largely because in terms of defensive work he is the striker who does the least in the entire Jupiler Pro League.
That should be particularly interesting to long-term suitors Tottenham, who abandoned a move in the summer because they thought it was too high risk at the figures quoted.
Now the striker is struggling in Belgium and seems ill-fitted to a game and system that sounds very similar to the one that Ange Postecoglou has introduced at Spurs.
VN say Vanhaezebrouck has Gent playing ‘fresh and dynamic’ football that is characterised by ‘a lot of energy and intensity’ and Orban doesn’t fit in as a result.
Indeed, the claim is that he’s ‘no longer in the top drawer’ as far as his manager and the club are concerned.
And if he’s struggling in Belgium, it’s easy to imagine he would have struggled in the Premier League, perhaps even more so.
Thus, Tottenham may be looking now and thinking they did the right thing in leaving him where he was, rather than paying a big sum and signing someone who it appears would not have thrived or come close to filling the Harry Kane void.
