Vanheisbrouck praises his new golden handle Urban: “No one will say we paid too much” | Jupiler Pro League

A rumbling among many KAA Gent fans on the morning of February 1st.

They woke up to the unexpected news that youth producer Ibrahim Salah had left for Rennes, France, for $1 million.

his replacement? The unknown Gift Orban from the Norwegian second-division club Stabaek. However, Buffalos paid no less than €3.5m for the 20-year-old striker.

It turned out to be an unexpected direct hit a month later.

“The owners of Stabaek didn’t want to accept our offer at first,” Vanheisbrouck told the story of the move yesterday.

“We wanted to pay much less than the asking price. But because of Salah’s offer on the last day, we ended up paying much more than we had planned. That’s how Stabaek still folded.”

“Now no one will say we paid a lot of money,” smiled Vanheisbroek, who confirmed that the scouts had tracked down Orban.

“It’s a real stroke of luck. It doesn’t work right away either, because Orbán was actually a long-term player who was given time to mature. Fortunately, he does a great job right away.”

The flashy start for the jubilant Nigerian is reminiscent of that of compatriot Moses Simon a few years ago. His influence was then crucial for KAA Gent on their way to the title.

Vanhaezebrouck also sees similarities. The trainer agrees: “With his style and personality, yes.” “The gift is always positive, a theatrical bird. He can also score like Simon.”

“Only Gift isn’t a side player, he’s a target striker. He bounces, goes deep and can finish well. There are still just a few steps to take on terms. Now we’re pushing him to the limit.”

“You often see Gift suffer because he’s so broken. But because he’s so charismatic, he goes deep again on the next ball. However, we have to make sure we don’t lose him.”

Vanheisbrouck concluded with a funny story: “On Saturday in training, he kicked a great ball. Everyone was watching with open mouths. In fact, I’d rather not see that in training, because players better save something like that for matches. (laughs) )) But if they could do That every day, that’s fine, right?