One of the under the radar stories of La Liga this season has to be 19-year-old forward Samu Omorodion.
Scoring on the opening day of the season for Granada away to Atletico Madrid, the following week he signed for Los Colchoneros for €6m. A week later, he was taking part in his first training sessions as an Alaves forward, having moved on loan. That game for Granada was his debut, with his previous highest level of experience coming in Spain’s fourth tier.
Despite starting just five games, Omorodion has four goals in his 12 appearances in La Liga this season. In addition to his goal against Atletico, Omorodion gave Barcelona defender Jules Kounde fits at Montjuic, opening the scoring for Alaves – he could have had more too.
Come the international break, he is part of Santi Denia’s under-21 Spain side, moving up from the under-19s this summer. Of Nigerian parentage, he has told Diario AS that he is only considering reaching senior international football with La Roja.
“Spain has given me the opportunity and I am very grateful for it. I don’t think about Nigeria. My goal is to debut with the senior side and have my career in Spain.”
There is excitement in Spain that he could be a physically dominant number nine, the likes of which they have rarely been able to call on. Target men such as Fernando Llorente and Aritz Aduriz have played their part for La Roja in recent years, while the naturalised Diego Costa was a physically imposing front man. Yet the combination of size, strength and pace that Omorodion possesses has become a rarity up front for Spain.
