Tottenham Hotspur have started the new 2025-26 season in impressive fashion, with Thomas Frank’s men recording two wins from two so far.
Tottenham have beaten both Burnley and Manchester City in the Premier League, with the North London club hosting Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.
Spurs have scored five goals in their opening two fixtures, with Frank’s options in attack seeming to have hit the ground running this season.
Tottenham have Richarlison and Dominic Solanke as options in the number nine role, with no plans to add another central striker to the club’s squad.
However, a 23-year-old that has just joined a Serie A side on loan could have been a Tottenham player if the club had got its way two years ago.
Gift Orban joins Hellas Verona on loan
Tottenham wanted to sign Gift Orban from Gent in 2023, with the Premier League side reportedly ready to spend £30 million on the Nigerian forward.
Orban had caught the attention of clubs across Europe after scoring 18 goals for the Belgian side in 2023-24 and ended up moving to Lyon.
However, despite only signing for German club Hoffenheim in January, the centre forward has now moved again – with Hellas Verona confirming Orban had signed for them on loan for the 2025-26 season.
Given that the African forward was so highly rated two years ago, he will hope to reignite his faltering career in Serie A.
Tottenham dodge a bullet in Orban
At the time when Tottenham were heavily linked with Orban, many fans were supportive of a move for the powerful and fast centre forward.
Orban’s direct style of play and eye for goal was impressive in Belgium, with Spurs at the time looking for a successor to Harry Kane.
However, given that the Nigerian has not been able to make an impact in France or Germany, Tottenham will now be glad they didn’t spend a significant transfer fee to sign him.
It also shows that the step up from a modest European league such as the Belgian top flight, to one of the major divisions, is substantial and there is a risk in signing players unproven at the top level.
Tottenham have a rejuvenated Richarlison leading their line at the moment and with Solanke waiting in the wings, the club have two excellent options in the centre forward position.