Genk are usually a side that spend little in order to sell on for a big profit. The club has an excellent academy and an eye for talent, turning players into profit every year. This summer, however, they went in a different direction. After struggling to find a goal scorer last season once Hyun-Gyu Oh left in February to sign for Besiktas, the side reinvested that money into Rafiu Durosinmi. The Nigerian forward joined from Pisa, where he had scored just one goal in 12 games. Hardly a prolific record, although prior to joining the Italian side, Durosinmi had scored 13 goals in 30 games for Viktoria Plzen.
Yet Genk have had incredible success with signing Nigerian strikers in recent seasons. They trusted that Pisa was just a blip for the 23-year-old, and so far this season, their faith has been richly rewarded. Durosinmi has scored in all four of his appearances for Genk to start the campaign. He is already just six goals behind what Oh managed in 32 games before he left last season.
Now many will be looking at Durosinmi as the next Paul Onuachu or Tolu Arokodare. Both were physical Nigerian strikers who, when in a Genk shirt, were fantastic finishers. Onuachu remains the record holder for the most goals in a single season in Belgian football with 33 in 38 games. Overall, the now 32-year-old scored 85 goals in just 134 games for Genk, a remarkable goals to game ratio for any striker. This earned him a move to Southampton, one that was destined to fail as the Saints were basically relegated from the Premier League before he joined. Onuachu only managed four goals for the club in 30 games, but has since joined Trabzonspor and is back to his scoring ways, with 26 goals in 36 games last season.
Like Onuachu, Arokodare, his replacement, scored goals for fun at Genk. His goals to game ratio is solid, if not as spectacular as Onuachu’s. In 113 games for Genk, Arokodare scored 41 goals, with 23 of these coming in his final season with the side. Like Onuachu, he moved to the Premier League and joined Wolves, and like his Nigerian compatriot, he was relegated that season. At Ajax, Arokodare is enjoying himself again, with three goals and two assists in five games.
Clearly, there is a long way to go, and it would be wrong to just presume that Durosinmi is going to continue this rich vein of form. Yet the start is encouraging, and the fit does feel natural. If Genk can just find a way to defend their own goal, it looks like they have a forward in Durosinmi who is going to win them games. He is certainly a player to keep an eye on this season.
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