On loan Atletico Madrid forward Samu Omorodion has revealed that in less than 24 hours he went from scoring against Los Rojiblancos to taking the first steps towards signing for them.
Granada’s first game of the season was away to Atletico Madrid, where Omorodion made first-team debut for Los Nazaries, and did so with a goal. He would sign for Atletico Madrid for €6m, and a week later, he was taking part in his first training sessions as an Alaves forward, having moved on loan.
Omorodion has four goals in his 12 La Liga appearances this season. In addition to his goal against Atletico, Omorodion also opened the scoring for Alaves against Barcelona at Montjuic – poor finishing deprived him of more goals in that game too.
Speaking to Diario AS, Omorodion has described how the Atletico move came about.
“I played against them on a Monday and on Tuesday they told me that they wanted me and the next everything was closed. It was very fast. They told me and I didn’t believe it. But if it happened like that it’s because it had to happen. I was quite calm because I knew it was a unique opportunity.”
Omorodion was asked about his summer, which saw him put on training kit for five different teams, including Spain’s under-19s and Recreativo Granada, their B side.
“Definitely. It was the first time that I officially competed with the national team [under-19] and we achieved promotion with Recreativo Granada. Then I did the preseason with the first team and then I signed for Atleti… It was a great summer, but I hope there are even better ones.”
Diego Simeone also recently compared Omorodion to a rough Diego Costa.
“Being compared to a player who has made history at Atleti is always appreciated, but I am Samu, and I want to write my own story.”
In terms of his style, Omorodion has much more pace than Costa, although the former Chelsea forward became an expert at using his body. Both are difficult for defenders to handle.
“I feel more comfortable running into space because I am a powerful player and I feel dominant in that aspect. But if the situation arises that the team dominates and I have to look for the play in the area, I also feel good.”
It did stand out during the clash against Barcelona just how much better Ronald Araujo dealt with him than Jules Kounde.
“All first division defenders are complicated. With Araujo and Hermoso, for example, I had some very good duels.”
Given he has made such a rapid rise, it would be no surprise if Omorodion had an inconsistent season at Alaves, and perhaps takes a little time to reach the first team at the Metropolitano. Yet already he is demonstrating his value at Alaves. Despite being on the bench more often than starting, Omorodion is their top scorer in La Liga.