Tottenham scouts were ‘convinced’ that they should have signed Gift Orban from Ghent this summer, but the club were ‘scared off’ by the €30m price tag on him.
That’s according to Het Laatste Nieuws, who cover how a ‘top transfer failed to materialise’ for the striker in this summer’s window.
They report that the 21-year-old had hoped to secure himself a top move this summer and the ‘expectation’ had been that he would get it.
It was an ‘eventful summer’ for him and his entourage as Lille, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United, Benfica and Tottenham all showed interest.
Indeed, they all came to scout Orban live and inquired about his personality, with Tottenham’s so impressed by what they saw that they considered Orban ‘an excellent investment for the future’.
The striker started to believe he would get the move he wanted and made it clear he wanted to go publicly, which led to sitting on the bench for two straight games.
The problem was that Ghent had ‘set the asking price high’, aiming for a record amount of more than €30m. It was that figure which eventually ‘scared off Tottenham’ and even Fulham at the end of the window.
Both clubs ‘hesitated’ to put such a figure on the table for a young striker who has only been playing at this level for six months. Tottenham considered it too high a risk and no offer was made.
The plan for Orban is to now prove that he isn’t a risk and continue to shine in Belgium to an extent that the likes of Spurs come back and put the money on the table for him.
