“He has had a very difficult period”- Gent boss opens up on Jordan Torunarigha’s situation amid Premier League, Bundesliga links

Gent coach Wouter Vrancken has revealed that Super Eagles defender Jordan Torunarigha has had a difficult time this summer due to talks linking him with a move to one of the top five leagues, Soccernet.ng reports.

Torunarigha has been one of the consistent performers for Gent in recent years. Since he joined the club, he has made 105 appearances with four goals and five assists.

Following his performances, Torunarigha has gotten many admirers in the top five European leagues. The 27-year-old defender has been linked with Hoffenheim, Stuttgart, Leeds United, Torino and Crystal Palace.

These talks turned Torunarigha’s head and he informed the club of his desire to move on. However, Gent were not enamored by the Nigerian’s move, causing them to exclude him from most of their pre-season games and their UEFA Conference League qualifiers.

However, coach Vrancken re-integrated Torunarigha into the team when they welcomed Silkeborg to Belgium for the second leg of their UEFA Conference League qualifiers.

Before the game, Vrancken spoke about Torunarigha’s issue, and he revealed that the Nigerian has had a difficult summer because of the transfer issue.

But meanwhile, the Super Eagles had indicated interest in returning to the team.

“He(Torunarigha) has had a very difficult period. He says that himself. Being here and yet not being here was very difficult for him. To then force things in the preparation was not good for him,” Vrancken said.

“He actually wanted to completely ignore the transfer situation and focus. He said that he wants to be part of our team again and help us. If he feels that way, we definitely have to make room for his qualities.”

Torunarigha played his first game in over a month on Thursday. The Nigerian defender got off the bench and played 54(including extra-time), helping Gent defeat Silkeborg 3-1 in the second leg of their Conference League qualifiers.