Super Eagles Star Shares How Ex-Arsenal Player Blocked His Progress at French Club
- Gift Orban has blamed his limited chances at Lyon on competition with ex-Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette
- The Super Eagles forward made only 3 Ligue 1 starts for the French club throughout his stay in France
- Orban appears to have picked form already after netting 4 goals in 12 games for Hoffenheim since joining in January 2025
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Super Eagles forward Gift Orban has disclosed the major reason behind his underwhelming campaign and struggles at French Ligue 1 club Lyon.
The 22-year-old forward, who switched from Genk to Lyon in early 2024, featured in only three league matches before making a January move to Bundesliga side Hoffenheim.
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Explaining the situation in an open interview with new club Hoffenheim, Orban pointed fingers at former Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette as the reason behind his struggles at Lyon.
"I didn't get many chances, and I also had very strong opponents. The coach preferred Alexandre Lacazette in my position; he's the team captain and a club legend. I wanted to play more, so I moved on. TSG trusts me, and that's important."
Orban finding respect and form at Hoffenheim
Orban explained that what convinced him to join Hoffenheim was the respect shown by the club’s management and their belief in his ability.
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Despite Hoffenheim’s struggles in the Bundesliga, the 22-year-old Super Eagles forward has quickly made an impact since joining, scoring four goals in 12 league games and helping lift the club out of the relegation zone.
"Many clubs contacted me in the winter," Orban said, "but here the management treated me with respect and convinced me. I now want to score even more goals and work hard to ensure that we stay in the league."
Orban’s form has been a boost to Hoffenheim's survival chances, and the Nigerian forward is now focused on delivering consistent performances.
Orban eyes on Super Eagles return
While Orban’s resurgence has been praised in Germany, the 22-year-old forward was left out of Nigeria's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
The Super Eagles would end up picking just four points from a possible six after they dropped two vital points against Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.
The dropped points mean Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup is in jeopardy as the Super Eagles have garnered just seven points out of six matches played, FIFA.com reports.
Eric Chelle's team now trails Group C leaders South Africa by six points with just four matches left in the qualifying series.
Still, the Hoffenheim forward remains hopeful of a return to the national team for the upcoming four-nation tournament in London this June.
Lyon sanctions Nigerian star Orban
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a Nigerian footballer has been hit with heavy sanctions by Lyon over his social media activity despite apologising for the incident.
Orban may have have landed in hot water in France after his social media activity crossed the ethics line with French club Lyon’s hierarchy.
The former Super Eagles invitee, realising his comment had angered the fans, apologised and explained that he meant it to encourage his friend and was “unaware” it was at the expense of his team.
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Source: Legit.ng
