12 months ago this week, Belgian publication Walfoot claimed Emmanuel Dennis was a transfer target for Arsenal, Manchester United, Leicester City and, well, almost every club in the Premier League.
And, at the time, it was easy to understand why Club Brugge’s Nigeria international had sent so many scouts into such a frenzy.
A man for the big occasion, Dennis followed up a coming-of-age, two-goal performance away at Real Madrid in the Champions League with a gorgeous Europa League lob against Man United.
The youngster’s match-winning displays weren’t restricted to continental competition either. On the domestic front, Dennis was the driving force behind Club Brugge’s triumphant title charge, ending his breakthrough campaign with a career-best nine goals.
Flash forward to April 2021, however, and the situation could hardly be more different. Chalk and cheese.
Dennis did get his move to a major European league in the end.
Although, if he was dreaming of a big break at the Emirates or Old Trafford he would have been disappointed. Instead, it was a relegation-threatened Cologne side who came to an agreement with Club Brugge, signing the quicksilver forward on loan until the end of the season.
At the moment, though, there’s little to suggest the Bundesliga strugglers will look to turn a short-term deal into a permanent transfer any time soon – certainly not for an eye-watering £18 million fee.
According to Voetbal24, Cologne have been dissatisfied by Dennis’ “poor performances” and “casual attitude”. He has yet to score in the Bundesliga either, restricted to nine minutes off the bench during a narrow 1-0 defeat to Wolfsburg at the weekend.
“I’m currently not 100 per cent satisfied with his performances,” coach Markus Gisdol said in March. Three weeks later, the doubts around Dennis are only growing as Cologne continue their slide towards the drop.
Not so long ago Dennis was a target for Arsenal, Man United and Leicester, turning down a “crazy” offer from West Brom while striking fear into the heart of Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid.
How times change in this most fickle and fast-moving game.
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