Gent CEO Insists €30 Million Isn’t Too Much For Gift Orban

The Chief Executive Officer of Belgian side KAA Gent, Michel Louwagie said Nigerian striker Gift Orban is worth ten times the amount Gent paid for his services in January.

In the last winter transfer window, Gent paid Norwegian second-division team Stabaek €3.3 million to acquire the Nigerian footballer.

Within nine months, the youngster has become one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe due to his consistency in front of goal.

Gift Orban attracted a series of suitors including Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham in the last summer transfer window but nothing concrete happened due to the price tag Gent placed on the Nigerian striker.

In the last nine months at the club, Orban has played 31 games in all competitions for Gent in which he scored 26 goals and provided two assists.

Hence, in less than a year at the club, the Belgian side wanted to sell him for nothing less than €30 million. That made negotiations with his suitors drag until the transfer window closed.

Hence, the 21-year-old forward has to remain at the Belgian Pro League club until the January transfer window or beyond.

While arguing that the €30 million price tag placed on Gift Orban was not outrageous, the Gent CEO said if the Nigerian star was playing for a Dutch team, his price tag would have been higher.

He said, “Why do Ajax and PSV sell players like Antony for €80m and others for easily €40m to €50m?

“And why should we think that €30m is too much for Orban? Even though the competition here is at least as good? Just look at how Dutch clubs are doing in Europe.

“But we are Flemish (Low Franconian) who look at each other’s plates and are jealous. Instead of demanding higher prices and helping Belgian football progress. No, rather capital injections – €500m in the last five years in Belgium – and then complaining.

“We need to stop doing that. Dutch clubs only had a deficit of €1m in the 2021-2022 season, while we had a deficit of €150m. They close their gaps by selling at higher prices.”