A short year and then leaves. On January 18, 2024, Gift Orban officially became a player from Olympique Lyonnais. Property of the Gantoise, the attacker from Nigeria had signed until June 2028 for an amount of € 12 million, to which could be added a maximum of € 8 million in bonuses as well as a profit of 20% on the most -Value of a possible transfer. At the time, many Rhodanian supporters believed that it was a huge blow on the part of the Gones since the player had a good rating on the market. Twenty-one matches (5 goals, 0 assit) and a little less than a year later, the native of the state of Benue left Olympique Lyonnais on January 2.
Aside from a few dazzling, he has never really managed to win the residents of Groupama Stadium, where he remained in the shadow of Alexandre Lacazette the first six months. This 2024-25 season, it was approached by Trabzonspor during the summer transfers market before staying, despite the strong competition embodied by “General Lacaz” and the summer recruit Georges Mikautadze. Used just 5 times by Pierre Sage, when he was still in office; The 2002 footballer was tired of his situation. So he took the escaper powder once the winter transfer window has come. Again courted in Türkiye, notably by Galatasaray and Trabzonspor, he said yes to Hoffenheim, in Bundesliga.
3 goals on its last 4 appearances
A departure that enabled OL, which knows some financial concerns, not to be too losing. Indeed, it was sold for an amount of € 9 million, “Accompanied by a maximum bonus of € 3 million (including € 1 million guaranteed) and a profit of 7.5 % on the added value of a potential future transfer”. For his part, the 22 -year -old footballer left with a little bit of bitterness, he who believes that everything was not together to succeed in Lyon. This is what he explained to the media at Sportsboom January 13. “The training here is exciting, intense. Everyone wants to get involved. Maybe it's because I just happened, but I find it very demanding. ”
He added: “All I want now is to enter the field for Hoffenheim and prove my value. I want to score goals, that's what I always wanted and that's what I want to do here. ” And for the moment, he is pretty well started to join the act to speech. Indeed, he was summoned 7 times in the German group, for 6 apparitions in the Bundesliga (he stayed 1 time on the bench without going into play, editor's note). In detail, he only holds only 2 times and he came into play during the match 4 times. Regarding his line of statistics, it was silent the first 3 meetings, including 1 where he had not come into play. Then, he chained with 3 goals during his last 4 appearances.
He takes his marks
Thus, he marked against the Eintracht Frankfurt (2-2, January 26), against Bayer Leverkusen (defeat 3-1, February 2) and finally he was a goalscorer on Sunday during success 3 to 1 against Werder Bremen, He who came out on injury. Orban therefore takes its marks gradually on the other side of the Rhine. Besides, his coach, Christian Ilzer, wants him to adapt gently as he recently confessed to the press. “We work little by little on its integration, but we have already made a lot of progress. He can already do it now (be regularly in the eleven holder, editor's note), but he will be able to help us much more, especially in the future. ”
On the media side, we are mixed. Yesterday he received the note of 2 from Bild For all of his work against the Werder (1 is the best note in Germany, editor's note). Journalist for Fussball TransfersLukas Hörster, he still expects a little more from him. “Gift Orban already has a significant impact. He scored goals, 3 in 280 minutes, including 2 very important to ensure points in the fight against relegation. It has a good yield but overall it is not yet well integrated. Hoffenheim is struggling to find it regularly. But it is obviously also because a lot of things are not working in Hoffenheim at the moment. ” Gift Orban, aligned in the forefront, could therefore be a gift for the German club (15th in the standings), which wants to save his skin in the elite.
