West Ham will face Belgium side Gent in the Europa Conference League quarter-final on Thursday, well aware of the danger of one of Europe’s hottest strikers.
Gift Orban was a total unknown less than two months ago, but his first steps among the game’s elite will have left Europe’s top sides watching his goalscoring exploits with much interest.
Playing in the Norwegian Second Division for Stabaek as recently as October, the Nigerian 20-year-old has scored nine goals in just eight Belgian League matches and five goals in four Europa League appearances.
It was his second-leg hat-trick against Basaksehir that fired Gent into the last eight and he will be hoping to enhance his fast-growing reputation against the Hammers in Thursday’s home leg.
‘A one-of-a-kind story’
Orban’s unique journey started in November 2021, when Stabaek’s sporting director Torgeir Bjarmann made his annual trip to Nigeria to attend an amateur tournament – and returned in no doubt about who his club should sign.
Bjarmann, was at Lyn Oslo when former Chelsea and Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel played there, and signed Odion Ighalo, who later made his name at Watford and ended up at Manchester United.
“It was a very physical tournament and Gift stood out with his scoring abilities and link-up play. I decided to invite him to our pre-season training camp,” recalled Bjarmann.
Coaches were not overly impressed at the start, though, and Orban returned to his homeland in February when his visa expired.
“I had to be more persuasive to sign him on loan, but the original idea was for Gift to play for the reserve team in the fourth division,” added Bjarmann. “He scored in every game there, so we gave him a chance in a cup fixture in June. He netted twice, remained in the squad and never looked back.”
Stabaek, who were surprisingly relegated the previous season, earned an instant return to Norway’s top flight – thanks in no small part to Orban’s goals.
Even though he only joined in the middle of the campaign, he ended up as the league’s top scorer with 16 goals in 19 matches, and added seven assists.
“Gift is extremely hungry for success and possesses a true winning mentality,” said Bjarmann. “He works hard in training every day and makes himself heard. I had high expectations of him, but he exceeded them.”
Stabaek midfielder Fredrik Krogstad added: “Usually it takes an African player about a year to adjust to Norwegian football, because style and culture are very different.
“Gift adapted amazingly fast, it was just crazy. He learned everything very quickly and became a leader.
“He is a funny guy who likes to laugh and dance, but becomes very serious in training sessions and matches. His mentality is very strong and the desire to win knows no bounds. It really was a one-of-a-kind story.”
‘Dreams of Premier League or Bundesliga’
Stabaek planned to keep Orban for their top-flight campaign, but were forced to change their mind when big offers came in.
On the last day of the January transfer window, the Nigerian signed for Gent for 3.5m euros (£3.06m), which was considered a major gamble by the Belgian press for someone who had only played a few months in the Norwegian Second Division.
“The price was supposed to be lower, but it went up after David Datro Fofana was sold from Molde to Chelsea for 12m euros (£10.5m),” said Gent’s chief executive Michel Louwagie. “It was a risk, but head of recruitment Samuel Cardenas kept telling me every day that we absolutely must sign him.”
Cardenas added: “From the first time I watched Gift, I saw something special in him. His movement is exceptional, he is complete in the sense that he can combine and score in every way technically.
“We were brave to gamble on him, but my opinion was trusted and it pays off to be bold. I would lie, though, if I said that I expected him to perform so fast.”
Nobody could possibly have predicted Orban’s phenomenal impact over the past couple of months,
He scored twice at Westerlo on his debut, which was delayed because he had to get a work permit, and has proceeded to surprise team-mates, opponents and fans ever since.
Orban scored a stunner to beat Anderlecht 1-0, netted four goals in the second half in a 6-2 win at Zulte Waregem and hit a four-minute hat-trick in the 4-0 win at Istanbul Basaksehir.
He is not just a predator in the penalty area, but a versatile attacker who loves moving to the wings, making spaces for others and shooting from distance.
“It is possible to compare him to Jonathan David, the Canadian star whom we sold to Lille in 2020, and who is now the top scorer in Ligue 1,” added Louwagie. “Gift might even be a more complete striker, because he has vision and is a good passer.”
“I am not surprised he took off so fast in Belgium. He is bound to have more chances with better team-mates, and he knows how to take those chances,” added Norwegian Krogstad.
“Gift came out of nowhere and took the league by storm. Football is tough in Belgium and strikers are not given spaces like in the Dutch league, but he just thrived. I have never seen a player who entered the competition so smoothly.”
Could he be ready to make the next step in the summer already, possibly to England?
VRT commentator Peter Vandenbempt said: “He is extremely self confident and managed to solve the problems that Gent had scoring goals. Gift is an open character too and wasn’t shy to turn on loud music in the dressing room early in the morning.
“He says that he dreams of playing in the Premier League or Bundesliga – and he could make it. The couple of games against West Ham are like two job interviews for him.”
The Hammers have been warned.
