Cristi Balaj, the president of CFR Cluj, has been effusive in his praise of Nigerian forward Philip Otele, who has been linked with a move away from the club.
The 24-year-old is reportedly interesting English Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion. The Seagulls are eager to acquire the services of Otele, who, during his teenage years, underwent training with Arsenal's youth team.
The intention is to finalise his signing during the summer and promptly loan him out to their partner club, Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium.
The Nigerian is also being pursued by Italian club Napoli and had offers from French clubs Bordeaux and Lorient rejected by CFR Cluj.
The two clubs offered 1.3 and 1.8 million euros, respectively, but the Transylvanian team rejected the proposals, instead requesting approximately 4 million euros, as reported by Nigerian media.
Otele is enjoying a stellar campaign with the Romanian giants, having been involved in 19 goals—scoring 13 himself and providing six assists to his teammates in 30 appearances.
Balaj speaks out on Philip Otele's future amidst transfer speculation
As speculation swirls around the future of Otele, Balaj has broken his silence on the matter. He addressed the ongoing transfer rumours surrounding Otele and shed light on the club's stance amidst the interest from various European clubs.
“It is not a transfer period now. It is an important period of the championship and we are not necessarily happy when such topics appear in important moments of the championship,” Balaj told Romanian outlet Sport.
“We know that Otele is being pursued by major clubs, there was an important offer in the winter, which was turned down because we consider his value to be much higher than what was offered to us. We avoid talking about amounts because the value of a player must be given by his performances. We are satisfied that he has a very good level – assists, goals scored. We are confident that he will end up having a transfer to an important club.”
Balaj continued, expressing his confidence in Otele's professionalism and potential: “Otele is a consummate professional. For him there is only football. He is preparing at the highest level and I am convinced that he will reach a major club in Europe.”
Providing insights into past offers and the club's assessment of Otele's capabilities, Balaj disclosed, “The winter offer for Otele was from Europe, from France. There were other teams interested in Otele, but the one from France was concrete. Now we have nothing, but now is not a transfer period. I am convinced that if he evolves as he does during this period we will see him in important championships.”
Undoubtedly optimistic about Otele's future, Balaj gushed, “Undeniably, I see Otele in an important championship. He is a player far above the level of the Romanian championship. It was a good decision to transfer him, we watched him, we noticed him and probably we saw qualities in him that others didn't notice.”
Otele's contract with CFR Cluj extends until June 2025, with the option for an additional season included in the agreement with the club.
Who is Philip Otele?
Born in Port Harcourt, Otele relocated to the UK to pursue his studies at Teesside University. During his time there, he represented Wolviston in the Wearside Football League, showcasing his talent with an impressive goal-scoring record of 21 goals in 20 appearances for the Stockton-based team.
Graduating with a BA (Hons) in Sports Management and Marketing in 2019, Otele's academic journey coincided with his burgeoning football career.
Following his graduation, he secured a professional contract with Lithuanian club Kauno Zalgiris, initially joining their B team before making a move to Romanian club UTA Arad in January 2022 before joining CFR Cluj in 2023.
Known for his prowess on the field, Otele, who is right-footed, has predominantly operated on the left flank of the attack.
His strengths lie in dribbling, creating scoring opportunities, and displaying a natural instinct for goal-scoring, particularly within the penalty area.
Otele has yet to represent Nigeria at any level of international football.
Mutu confident in Otele's Premier League potential
CFR Cluj manager Adrian Mutu has shared his thoughts on Philip Otele's capabilities and future prospects. In an interview with Fanatik, Mutu expressed his confidence in Otele's ability to thrive in the English top flight, citing his impressive attributes and potential fit at Brighton.
“I'm not surprised, why should I be?” Mutu told Fanatik. “Otele is a modern player who can play in the Premier League. He has incredible physical strength, he also has very good speed technique.
“He still needs to work and be more attentive to finishing, to the last shots, there. I'm very happy with him, so I'm not surprised, but I hope he stays focused here and we'll see from the summer what will happen.
“But he has the qualities to play at Brighton without problems.”
