Obasi: Chelsea, Spurs, Pompey, Bayern, Where?

As Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi keeps pumping in the goals thereby dragging ‘village club’. the question on the lips of his fans in particular and soccer lovers in general is – where is Obasi’s next port of call?

As Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi keeps pumping in the goals thereby dragging ‘village club’ Hoffenheim to the summit of the Bundesliga, a surprise which German legend Franz Beckenbuaer (a.k.a Kaiser) attest to, the question on the lips of his fans in particular and soccer lovers in general is – where is Obasi’s next port of call?
This puzzle is generating more and more debate especially as more and more clubs are being attracted to him given his invincibility in front of goal. So far the Lyn Oslo upstart has scored eight goals and from the way he is going that figure could be a quarter of the number of goals he will score before the end of this season. What attracts attention to the pacy striker is not only the goals he scores or the frequency of the goals but the fact that he does not just score, he also creates scoring chances for his teammates. It is on record that he has created more goals for his strike partners than they have done for him, and he has contributed to 40 per cent of the goals Hoffenheim have scored as a team so far.
This is why Obasi is one of the most sought after forwards in Europe at the moment. But where will he go at the end of this great struggle for his service? Chelsea were the first to show interest for the silver medalist at the Beijing Olympic Games. It was assumed then that John Olatunde Shittu, the player’s agent who also took Obasi’s compatriot and close friend John Obi Mikel to Stamford Bridge influenced the report in the English press that Obasi is a prime target of Luiz Felipe Scolari, but sooner had the speculation doused down than Harry Redknapp the new manager of struggling Tottenham Hotspurs declared that he is also interested in the silver medalist at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Holland 2005.
The willy Redknapp dispatched his scout to Germany to watch Obasi and bring back a first hand information on the young Nigerian that is setting the Bundesliga on fire with goals. The news that Redknapp sent his agent to monitor Obasi sparked off a round of claim and counter claim concerning who first made a bid to snatch the player. The inclusion of Jurgen Klinsmann the gaffer at Bayern Munich in the claims for the initial interest on Obasi was another dimension to the whole debate even as it added value to the player whose club has already slammed “we won’t sell” snag on.
The initial statement from Hoffenheim directorate was that 10million pounds cannot buy the player but with interest from big money spenders like Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Spurs, it is very obvious that Hoffenheim may reluctantly allow Obasi to go but certainly for a huge fee especially as he has a running contract with them.
With the certainty that Obasi will leave Hoffenheim probably during the winter transfer some factors that will influence his choice of club are money, playing time and environment. Talking about money, it may not be a major problem especially as there are serious buyers or suitors already knocking on his doors. In other words the highest bidder could snap up the player. Having said this, perhaps the playing time factor could play a more decisive role in Obasi’s move.
No player wants to go to a club that will confine him to the substitute bench only to loan him out a few month after. In view of this Shittu and Obasi may be considering offers from clubs like Spurs and Portsmouth. Firstly, Redknapp has shown over the years that he is a great admirer of African players. He took Nwankwo Kanu and John Utaka to Fratton Park, this makes his demand for Obasi very attractive, genuine and sincere. Harry will definitely feature Obasi in his plans. As for Chelsea and Bayern Munich there preference for big name players could mar Obasi’s chance of getting regular action.
Secondly, clubs like Spurs and Pompey are not as ambitious as Bayern and Chelsea as a result they don’t put their players under so much pressure which often times after the performance of the boys. Therefore it would be better for him to join any of the two especially as he will be moving into a new environment.
And talking about environment, Obasi has tasted the Bundesliga or Germany lifestyle. He could want some thing new, perhaps a change and a challenge that will drive him to the top of his career. This is where the Premiership, which is the most glamourous, prestigious and lucrative league in the world comes in. the English game will definitely polish Obasi and open up his career especially as it concerns the national team. He needs the Premiership and there is no debate about that.
With the choice of the League he will probably feature settled, it is left for him and Shittu to decide which club will catch their fancy, and certainly money may play a significant role in that decision. When we talk of money here it may not necessarily represent the transfer fee but the entire take home (especially the weekly wage) of the player. Everything points to January but who knows if Real Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus, Arsenal and FC Barcelona will not join the chase for Obasi particularly when he sustains his scoring form. Let’s wait and see.