{
  "id": 31386,
  "title": "What happened to star signings your club never made?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/what-happened-to-star-signings-your-club-never-made",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-02T05:42:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Sport",
    "slug": "bbc-sport",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c5y32lgr67no?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Tottenham fans, anticipating a bright future, were thrilled when transfer window announcements hinted at a potential signing of a star striker named Gift Orban from Nigeria. Orban's impressive performance in the 2023-24 season had drawn significant attention from several top-tier clubs. In 2023, Orban, then 21, was considered one of the most promising players globally, scoring 16 goals in 22 games for Stabaek and 20 in 22 matches for Gent. His exceptional skills even captured the attention of England captain Harry Kane, who was set to join Bayern Munich later that summer. However, despite Tottenham's strong interest, the £25m fee failed to materialize, causing Orban to move on to various clubs, such as Lyon and Hoffenheim. While his career has not reached the expected heights, other players who were once coveted have achieved remarkable success in different capacities.",
  "summary": "BBC Sport takes a look at some star players who were close to moving to the Premier League, only for the deals to fall through.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport Football",
        "title": "What happened to star signings your club never made?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/what-happened-to-star-signings-your-club-never-made-31403",
        "published": "2026-08-02T05:42:58.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "What happened to star signings your club never made?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/what-happened-to-star-signings-your-club-never-made-31464",
        "published": "2026-08-02T05:43:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}