Gift Orban’s challenging tenure in France is coming to a close as Olympique Lyonnais has reached an agreement with Bundesliga club TSG Hoffenheim for the transfer of the talented forward.
The Nigerian international, who joined Lyon from KAA Gent for a substantial fee of €14 million last January, has struggled to make an impact at the French club. This season, Orban has appeared in only five matches across all competitions, scoring just two goals for the prestigious Ligue 1 team.
Once seen as a promising talent in European football, Orban’s aspirations have quickly turned into a difficult situation, as he faced exclusion from the first-team due to disciplinary issues.
Lyon seems prepared to incur a financial loss by parting ways with the Nigerian forward just a year after his arrival at the Ligue 1 side. Reports suggest that his disciplinary challenges significantly contributed to his absence from the first-team roster.
Technical director Pierre Sage has confirmed that both Orban and Ivorian international Wilfried Zaha have faced disciplinary measures due to their indiscipline, which included missing training sessions along with other squad members who did not participate in a recent match.
The actions taken by Lyon’s management highlight the gravity of the situation, resulting in both players being suspended from first-team activities.
In the meantime, TSG Hoffenheim is preparing to take formal steps to complete Orban’s expected transfer after reaching an agreement.
Hoffenheim is hopeful that Orban will enhance their attacking capabilities, as the team has only scored 20 goals in 15 Bundesliga matches this season. With striker Andrej Kramaric leading the team with just six league goals, the need for improved offensive options is increasingly urgent.
Earlier reports suggested that Lyon had imposed strict penalties on Orban due to his controversial behavior on social media, despite his attempts to apologize for the incident. The Lyon management deemed his actions inappropriate, leading to decisive actions to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
