Scout Report: Nigeria vs Iceland - A closer look new Stoke midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo
One of the surprise signings before the start of the 2018 World Cup was Stoke’s capture of Oghenekaro Etebo from Las Palmas in a deal worth nearly £7m.
The 22-year-old started last season as a forward for Portuguese side Feirense before making a January switch to Las Palmas where he was converted into a box-to-box midfielder.
Etebo started 14 games after joining the Spanish side at the start of the year but has made the curious switch to Stoke despite the fact the Potter were relegated to the Championship last season.
The versatile midfielder wasn’t expected to feature prominently for Nigeria at the World Cup but was a surprise starter against Croatia in their Group D opener.
Stoke supporters would rarely have heard of the youngster prior to his arrival at the club, let alone seen anything of him, but this summer’s tournament will allow them a closer look before he makes his debut next season.
The Super Eagles slipped to a 2-0 defeat against Croatia and Etebo put the ball past his own goalkeeper, but it was a performance that offered Stoke fans optimism, particularly after securing the long-term future of star man Joe Allen earlier this month.
Etebo was deployed in a box-to-box role alongside Leicester defensive midfielder Wilfred Ndidi. After only managing four goals in 18 league games in Portugal during the first half of last season, it seems that this will be his role going forward rather than an advanced role. .
However, even in central midfield the Nigeria No.8 doesn’t appear to have lost his ability to burst forward. Despite the fact 10 teams have already completed two matches at the World Cup this summer, Etebo has still completed the most dribbles (9) at the tournament. Not only that, but only Neymar (10) has been fouled more times than Etebo (8).
Impressively, Etebo completed 92.5% of his passes in Nigeria’s 2-0 defeat to Croatia, suggesting he is also capable in possession as he is when taking on opponents. Nigeria’s campaign is unlikely to extend beyond the group stages but Etebo is certainly a player to keep an eye on ahead of the next season.
