Reporter clarifies Gift Orban’s comments about disliking Arsenal

Speaking about his future, Orban admitted it would be a dream to play in the Premier League, before seemingly ruling out Arsenal.

When asked about his footballing ambitions, Orban said: “Playing in a big league. At a club where I feel comfortable AND where I play.

“The Premier League is my ultimate dream. Manchester United, Liverpool, or Manchester City (laughs).

“I don’t really like Arsenal that much – it’s like they don’t want to win titles. They play and sell players – that’s it. I want to go somewhere where they win prizes.”

Fabrizio Romano reports that the interviewer has since clarified that Orban wasn’t talking about the Arsenal of now, but the one during his childhood.

Orban meant the comments as a joke, and “has the utmost respect for Arsenal”.

Arsenal fans are still unlikely to be too happy about the comments, though it’s always good to have the extra context.

It’s never easy to convey the exact intentions behind someone’s words through text, and you often feel that the big social media accounts don’t really care about getting those intentions right.

Centre-forward Orban is making his breakthrough in Belgian football at the moment, playing for Gent.

Since joining the club in January, he’s scored 20 goals in 20 games, but he drew blanks in Gent’s two-legged Europa Conference League quarter-final defeat to West Ham United.

Given his goal record, there will likely be plenty of speculation around Orban’s future this summer.

But for the time being, he’s involved in the play-off round of the Belgian league. Gent play away to Westerlo and at home to Standard Liege before the season is over.