Samu Omorodion: Why are Chelsea interested in €50m-rated Atletico Madrid striker with just nine senior goals?

The Blues have already had one offer rejected for the 20-year-old as they go in search of attacking reinforcements

It’s been clear for some time that one of Chelsea’s priorities for this summer’s transfer window is a new centre-forward. While Nicolas Jackson went some way to silencing his doubters as last season progressed, he remains a work in progress who would benefit from having some of the scoring burden relieved from his shoulders.

Over the past few months, the Blues have been linked with a host of huge names with fearsome records in front of goal. Napoli hotshot Victor Osimhen, for example, as well as Feyenoord sensation Santiago Gimenez and RB Leipzig starlet Benjamin Sesko.

However, once the window opened, and new manager Enzo Maresca was installed at the helm, Chelsea fans were forced to temper their expectations significantly. First, Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran – who scored just five Premier League goals last campaign – was touted for a move to Stamford Bridge. Then, Samu Omorodion was linked.

Reports in June claimed that Chelsea submitted a bid worth as much as €40 million (£34m/£43m), once potential add-ons were taken into account, for the Atletico Madrid man – an offer Los Rojiblancos turned down. When the surprise news broke, Blues fans scrambled to Google to find out more about their potential new No.9. And what they found would have hardly inspired confidence.

The bottom line is that Omorodion only scored eight goals last season, which might make it difficult to see why Chelsea have rekindled their interest in the centre-forward, with Gianluca Di Marzio reporting that the club could be willing to go as high as €50m (£43m/$55m) to get a deal done. There is, however, more to the physical striker than meets the eye, as GOAL discovered when delving into his story so far.

Where it all began

Born to Nigerian parents in Melilla, an autonomous Spanish city that borders Morocco on the North African coast, Omorodion moved to the mainland when he was young. Initially joining local side AD Nervion in his hometown of Sevilla, he eventually signed up at Granada – a team based three hours away – in 2021.

After ironing out some kinks in his game by attending a specialist football clinic in summer 2022, he exploded for the club’s Under-19 side the following season. Omorodion would plunder 14 goals in just 29 regular season games, before making a decisive impact in the Segunda Federation promotion play-offs.

He would net three times across the two-legged semi-finals against Utebo FC before scoring again in the second leg of the final to clinch promotion for Granada. Those exploits were enough to earn him a five-year contract, as well as apparent interest from several Premier League sides.

The big break

After proving himself at reserve-team level, Granada took a close look at Omorodion during pre-season and he sufficiently impressed to earn a shock start on their opening day, La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid. As if this wasn’t enough of a surprise, he even managed to mark his senior debut with a goal!

Following a sloppy Atleti turnover in their own third, Gonzalo Villar fizzed a wicked ball across the front post and Omorodion burst past his marker to turn it into the net. His celebration was everything you might expect from a 19-year-old netting an equaliser against Atletico on their maiden start, with his sizable frame flopping forward after an overly enthusiastic knee-slide attempt.

Things were about to get even better for Omorodion too. A few days later, Atletico would exercise the €6m (£5m/$6.4m) release clause in his contract, with the forward signing a five-year contract in the Spanish capital. But he would barely have time to get his feet under the table at the Metropolitano, with Atleti immediately sending him out on loan to Alaves.

How it’s going

Omorodion made a fairly slow start to life in his new surroundings. Initially, veteran striker Kike Garcia was prefered up front, with his less-experienced team-mate making do with substitute appearances in his first four games. Eventually, though, his time came.

Omorodion was finally handed a start against Celta Vigo in late September, and he made the most of the faith shown in him, scoring a vital equaliser 17 minutes from time. Over the following months, Omorodion would establish himself as his side’s go-to striker, though it wasn’t all plain sailing. A shaky opening half to the season left Alaves in genuine relegation peril, though their prodigious centre-forward’s form helped them pull away from the drop zone after Christmas.

By February, Omorodion had eight goals to his name and his team were close to being safe. After that, though, things nosedived on a personal level. Omorodion would not add to this tally at all during his final 12 Liga games of the campaign.

At this point, it’s worth noting that he was not the only Alaves player who struggled to post impressive scoring numbers last season. Under Luis Garcia, they were one of the most defensive sides in La Liga, with no team in the division averaging less than their 41.8 percent average possession, and only Rayo Vallecano, Las Palmas, Mallorca and relegated Cadiz scoring fewer goals. Omorodion can still feel a sense of satisfaction, though, as he comfortably finished as the team’s top scorer.

After returning to Atletico Madrid at the end of the campaign, he was called up by Spain for the Olympics, scoring a late consolation goal in his side’s group-stage defeat to Egypt.

Biggest strengths

Omorodion’s physical profile seems perfect for the Premier League. Not only does he stand at 6’4, he’s well built, allowing him to fend off defenders. When he takes the ball with his back to goal, he’s incredibly hard to dispossess and has the technique to drive forward too. This was useful for a side like Alaves, who used him as an out ball to relieve some pressure.

The bulk of Omorodion’s goals last season were scored from inside the box, which speaks to his clever movement in the final third.

Despite his height, Omorodion is deceptively quick, especially across the first five yards or so. This means he excels creating separation from defenders in congested spaces. In theory then, provided the balls into the box are of sufficient quality, Omorodion should accumulate plenty of high-quality chances. His expected goals numbers from last season back this up, as he registered 0.51 xG per 90 minutes.

And while the fact that he underperformed his xG considerably in La Liga suggests that he is not the finished product in terms of his shooting, there are reasons to be positive. His strikes were nicely spread between his right foot, left foot and head, showing hints of the accomplished presence he could become with the correct guidance.

Room for improvement

There’s no getting away from it: Omorodion is not a top-class finisher just yet. As touched on above, he should have scored far more than he did last season, with a lack of composure often proving his downfall. There’s plenty of time for him to develop that killer instinct, but if a club is looking for a 20-goal striker, there might be better options out there.

Strangely, he doesn’t actually appear to be dominant in the air either. He may hold a significant height advantage over many of his opponents, but last season he only won around 40% of his La Liga aerial duels. Those numbers are worse than short kings Bruno Fernandes and Enzo Fernandez managed last season, though they are a slight improvement compared to current Chelsea striker Jackson. Still, you might expect slightly more attention-grabbing numbers from such a physical presence.

Omorodion’s creativity leaves a lot to be desired, too. He’s only registered one assist in his senior career and his 1.46 shot creating actions per 90 minutes was bettered by nearly 200 La Liga players last term.

What comes next?

There’s no indication at the moment that any other clubs are looking at Omorodion this transfer window, and this should give Chelsea a clear run at signing the striker. Negotiations will also be helped by Conor Gallagher’s imminent Atletico move – a saga which is understood to have strengthened relations between the two clubs considerably.

There could be other options for Chelsea to explore if a deal isn’t possible, though. The Duran transfer is still not dead and further possibilities might emerge in the final few weeks of the recruitment window, with Osimhen surprisingly still available despite Napoli’s willingness to sell.

From Omorodion’s perspective, he may be open to departing Atleti this summer, as he’s likely to remain behind the likes of Antoine Griezmann and new arrival Alexander Sorloth in the pecking order. Saying that, Memphis Depay and Alvaro Morata’s exit might influence his decision.

Regardless of whether he stays or goes, predicting Omorodion’s long-term trajectory is tough. There are certainly plenty of areas of serious potential, but the gaps in his game are difficult to ignore. Signing him is a massive risk – but recent history suggests Chelsea will have no issues taking that gamble this summer.