Gent CEO Michael Louwagie has slammed Tottenham Hotspur for the failed move of 21-year-old forward Gift Orban.
Gift Orban was on the radar of quite a few clubs throughout the summer transfer window. Tottenham Hotspur were one of the clubs that wanted to sign him but they ended up pulling out of the race. On the back of it, KAA Gent CEO Michael Louwagie has hit out on Spurs.
Orban has been the talk of the town since joining KAA Gent from Stabaek back in January. The 21-year-old striker has featured in a total of 31 matches and has contributed with 26 goals and two assists. The Nigerian international has been on fire and his performances haven’t gone unnoticed.
As far as the 2023-24 season is concerned, he has featured in nine matches and has six goals to his name. While his contract with the Belgian club runs until the summer of 2027, the 21-year-old is expected to move to a bigger club in the near future.
Spurs were one of the clubs that wanted to sign him in the summer. They were in talks with the Belgian club and there was a real possibility of a deal as Gent were ready to sell him for around £25 million. But, Spurs felt the asking price was a touch on the higher side and they ended up dropping the idea.
Spurs leaving the negotiations table following the asking price hasn’t gone down well with Michael Louwagie. The Gent CEO believes the 21-year-old is easily worth £25 million and they didn’t even consider lowering the price.
He said that if Ajax and PSV can sell players for huge prices, even Belgian clubs can do the same. He cited the example of Antony’s move to Manchester United which saw Ajax earn €95 million.
The Gent CEO believes even Belgian clubs could sell their players for a similar price as they have a league as competitive as the Eredivisie. The Belgian clubs need to demand higher prices for their players in order to help Belgian football grow.
Louwagie has made it clear that Tottenham Hotspur’s decision to pull out from the negotiations has made him angry.
The Gent CEO said while speaking to Nieuwsblad: “That has already made me angry. Why do Ajax and PSV sell players like Antony for 95 million euros and others for easily 40 to 50 million?”
“And why should we think that 30 million euros is too much, even though the competition here is at least as good (as in the Eredivisie)?
“But we are Flemish. (We) look at each other’s plates and are jealous, instead of all demanding higher prices and helping Belgian football progress.
“We really need to stop doing that.”
