Scout Report – Kenneth Omeruo

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ summer spending spree seems to have no bounds and they have now agreed to sign Chelsea defender Kenneth Omeruo, with a fee agreed between the clubs.

When last season ended, I couldn’t picture Wolves parting company with Danny Batth or for that matter, youngster Kortney Hause. They now have a wealth of centre-back options though and it appears Omeruo will be another.  Here’s what we know about him.

History

The 6ft 1in defender was born in Nigeria and played his early football for the Hard Foundation before gaining a trial at Sunshine Stars. After moving to Europe, the trial at Anderlecht was unsuccessful but he ended up joining the Standard Liege academy.

Two good years there saw him get snapped up by Chelsea as an 18-year-old and experience was gained during loan spells at Den Haag, Middlesbrough, Kasimpasa and Alanyaspor. He has played 126 first team games at these clubs collectively.

Having already played in the 2011 under-20 World Cup, in 2013 and while playing in the Netherlands for Den Haag, Omeruo was recognised by his country, having been capped by the Nigerian international team for a game against Cape Verde.

He went on to play all of his side’s games at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and even won the competition.

Style Of Play

Omeruo is another uncompromising centre-back who can join the likes of Miranda, Ryan Bennett and Willy Boly in competition for places in the Molineux defence.

He is perhaps more comfortable on the ball than some of those players. He is someone who would be happy on either side of the central defensive partnership, as a right-back, and also in a defensive midfield role.

His Future

Although he has progressed since arriving in England and has a certain future in the game, one thing is for certain – in the current climate, Omeruo has no future in the Chelsea first team.

His progression needs to carry on elsewhere and Wolves; as long as he gets enough game time, may be the best place for him. The West Midlands club are certainly going places this coming season and have signed players clearly capable of playing at a higher level, such as Ruben Neves for example.

Omeruo has the overall profile of a Premier League player but occasionally, you have to take one step back in order to take two steps forward and a good season in the Championship could be the making of the 23-year-old as a defender.