West Ham United may have missed a trick by not signing 21-year-old centre-forward Gift Orban this month.
HITC Football understands that West Ham are among several Premier League clubs who have backed away from signing the Nigerian forward.
Instead, Gift Orban looks set to be moving to Lyon for £10m despite the fact he was interested in a move to the Premier League.
The mood at West Ham isn’t great right now, especially after their defeat to Bristol City in the FA Cup.
Injuries are beginning to make an impact on David Moyes’s strongest side and they may be made to rue not going all out to sign Orban.
West Ham miss out on Orban
On paper, the Hammers have had a strong season, progressing to the knockout stages of the Europa League and sitting sixth in the Premier League.
However, there have been some concerning performances from Moyes’s team, including their 5-0 defeat to Fulham and their 5-1 loss to Liverpool in the EFL Cup.
The signings of James Ward-Prowse and Mohammed Kudus in particular have been widely praised, although losing the Ghanaian to the African Cup of Nations is a big blow.
Not only that, both Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta have picked up injuries, while Michail Antonio’s fitness has been a concern this season too.
This leaves West Ham short of attacking options, especially considering HITC Football understands both Said Benrahma and Danny Ings are available this month.
It therefore looks like a mistake for West Ham to pass up on the chance to sign Gift Orban.
While he’s not hit the heights of last season, he was available for a reasonable fee and would have given the Hammers a very promising option for years to come.
Orban was low-risk high-potential option for £10m
If 21-year-old Gift Orban was from any other country that had qualified for the African Cup of Nations, he would likely be in the Ivory Coast right now.
However, Nigeria’s attacking options are so impressive that Orban missed out, despite scoring 20 goals last season for KAA Gent.
Orban arrived in Belgium this time last year after an impressive stint with Norwegian club Stabaek.
He hit the ground running, scoring the fastest hat-tricks in a UEFA club competition ever in April last year.
It took him just three minutes and 20 seconds to find the back of the net three times against Istanbul Basaksehir in the Conference League.
Orban has only scored three goals this season, but with West Ham’s limited centre-forward options currently, he would have been a fantastic alternative to Jarrod Bowen.
Hammers not out of the running for January signings
HITC Football understands that another striker is potentially on Tim Steidten’s radar as the club’s director of football.
AZ Alkmaar forward Vangelis Pavlidis has been scouted several times by West Ham as well as Fulham and Crystal Palace.
It shows that the Hammers are well aware that they need to improve their attacking options sooner rather than later.
Orban would have worked very well and would have complemented Bowen well as an alternative or alongside him.
Instead, West Ham fans will be watching closely to see how he gets on at Lyon.
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