According to L’ÉQUIPE, Olympique Lyonnais are set to sign KVV Gent’s Gift Emmanuel Orban (21) for a reported fee of around €13 million.
The Nigerian attacker has enjoyed an extraordinary rise since joining Norwegian club Stabæk Fotball back in 2022 from Bison FC, a club in Nigeria. In his first and only season there, he scored 19 goals and gave seven assists in just 24 appearances, drawing the attention of KVV Gent who signed him last winter for €3.3 million.
His form didn’t stop there, as in his first half-season in Belgium he proved to be unstoppable for every defence he faced, scoring 20 goals in 22 appearances, including a hat-trick in the Conference League against Basaksehir FK. This season, although his output in the Jupiler Pro League has slowed, Orban is still as clinical in European Competitions, having scored nine goals from 10 Conference League matches.
Orban is a versatile attacker, capable of playing anywhere across the frontline, combining technical flair and power in order to squeeze into tight pockets and space. Though Alexandre Lacazette seems difficult to dethrone as the starting striker, the 21-year-old brings a very different profile to the more ‘classical’ wingers already at the club such as Ernest Nuamah (20) and Malick Fofana (18), offering direct goal-threat rather than fancy wing play.
His arrival could be a fantastic breath of fresh air for Les Gones after a catastrophic start to the season, both offensively and defensively.
GFFN | Alfred Lalande
