Is Gift Orban the next Moses Simon? KAA Gent’s coach shares striking similarities

KAA Gent coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck is thrilled with his winter transfer window purchase, Gift Orban. The 20-year-old striker scored his fourth goal for the club against Anderlecht, leaving the coach beaming with pride.

The Belgian club paid a hefty 3.5 million euros for Orban from Norwegian second division club Stabaek, following the unexpected departure of youth product Ibrahim Salah to Rennes in France for a million euros.

Vanhaezebrouck revealed that the club had to pay much more than they had initially planned due to the Salah offer, which led to Stabaek accepting the deal. However, the coach believes that the scouting team did an excellent job in identifying Orban as a player with potential.

Orban's impressive start to life at KAA Gent has led to comparisons with fellow Nigerian, Moses Simon, who played a crucial role in the club's title win a few years ago.

Vanhaezebrouck sees similarities between the two players, stating they share a positive attitude and goal-scoring abilities.

What has been said? 

“In his manner and in his character, yes,” Vanhaezebrouck agrees Gift is like Simon, as per Sporza. “Gift is always positive, a play bird. He can also score like Simon.”

“Only Gift is not a flank player, but rather a target striker. He bounces, seeks depth and can finish well. Only some steps still need to be taken conditionally. Now we are pushing him to the limit.

“You often see Gift suffering because he is completely broken. But because he has so much character, he goes deep again on the next ball. However, we have to make sure that we do not lose him.”

Orban will look to add to his growing profile at Gent when his side hosts Turkish outfit Istanbul Basaksehir in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday.