- 26 Apr 2024
Brighton to swoop for Nigerian hidden gem excelling in Romania
Nigerian attacker Philip Otele is on the radar of Brighton, who have identified the CFR Cluj star as a potential star in the making.
The Seagulls’ data-driven approach to signing players has led them to the Romanian top flight, where the 24-year-old scored 13 goals and provided six assists across 30 regular season matches before the end-of-season playoff split.
Otele was signed by Cluj from fellow Romanian side UTA Arad last summer, and has experienced a circuitous route to a professional career.
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Born in Port Harcourt, Otele moved to the UK to study at Teesside University, turning out for part-timers Wolviston in the Wearside Football League, scoring 21 times in 20 games for the Stockton-based outfit.
Otele studied BA (Hons) Sports Management and Marketing, graduating in 2019.
The forward gained a professional contract that year at Lithuanian side Kauno Zalgiris, initially being assigned to the B team, before being picked up by Arad in January 2022.
And now his unusual journey could be leading him back to England and to the Premier League, according to the Evening Standard.
If Brighton sign Otele for a reported fee of €4 million it is expected he will be initially loaned to Union SG in Belgium, their partner club.
Otele is reported to have a contract until 2025 with an option to extend for a further season.
Union have featured the talents of Kaoru Mitoma, Simon Adingra and Kacper Kozlowski on loan from Brighton in recent seasons and Otele could be the latest beneficiary of the link-up.
Right-footed Otele has been primarily deployed on the left side of the attack, excelling in dribbling and chance creation, and also possesses a poacher’s instinct inside the box.
His goals this season have been instrumental in helping Cluj qualify for the Romanian SuperLiga playoff round.
Otele has also got European experience having featured for Zalgiris in the Europa League qualification phase and also in the UEFA Europa Conference League playoff round for his current club last summer.
It was reported in the Romanian press two weeks ago that Cluj had turned down approaches from both Lorient and Bordeaux while reports in Nigeria claim the player’s entourage knocked back the chance to join Cardiff City in January.
He has also emerged onto the radar of Napoli, Stuttgart and Turkish side Trabzonspor.
Otele backed to succeed in the Premier League
Cluj manager Adrian Mutu, the former Chelsea forward, has backed his attacker to succeed in the Premier League.
"I'm not surprised, why should I be?" he told Fanatik.
"Otele is a modern player who can play in the Premier League. He has incredible physical strength, he also has very good speed technique.
"He still needs to work and be more attentive to finishing, to the last shots, there. I'm very happy with him, so I'm not surprised, but I hope he stays focused here and we'll see from the summer what will happen.
"But he has the qualities to play at Brighton without problems."
