Kenyan international and KAA Gent’s center-back Joseph Okumu is a man on demand, with word going around that he has attracted interest from clubs in three of Europe’s top leagues.Clubs in Spain, Italy, and Germany are reportedly eyeing the former Chemelil Sugar defender after an impressive debut season with Gent in Belgium’s top-flight league.In the regular season, Gent finished fifth and managed to seal a UEFA Europa Conference League ticket in the playoffs, with Okumu playing a huge role and even scoring in the playoffs, his second goal the other one coming in a Cup tie against Belisia Bilzen.A breakdown of Joseph Okumu’s impressive stats in BelgiumIn less than three years, Okumu’s estimated market value has skyrocketed by 2455.56%. from a mere $180,000 to $4,600,00. Back to more familiar figures, from Ksh 18.5m in August 2019, going by an exchange rate of 103 shillings back then, to Ksh 537,648,000 going by the current exchange rate.However, his estimated value plummeted between June 2021 and October 2021 after joining Gent, perhaps because of the technicalities of adapting to a new league and an injury that ensued between that time.But since he found his footing, his value has also assumed a stable upward trajectory and promises even to continue the rise with the summer transfer window set to open soon, with his contract at Gent running till June 2025.In a span of eight months since October, his value has grown from $1.8 million to $4.6 million, an increase of about $0.35 million per month, locally put, over Ksh 40 million per month. According to data by African Football Data Center, the 25-year-old defender is ranked at position 212 in Africa by Market Value although the portal does not include the Kenyan duo of Michael Olunga and Victor Wanyama who have a higher market value on TransferMarkt.Compared to Wanyama, Okumu is yet to hit his high although their comparison is skewed owing to the fact they play in different positions and attract different prices by virtue of their positions.When Wanyama turned 25 years, he joined Tottenham Hotspur at a fee around the region of $15.9 million after spending almost a decade in Europe, having started out in Belgium before moving to Scotland, and then England.Okumu wins silverware in his first season at GentWhile at Spurs, he hit his peak in terms of market value between January and May 2018 according to TransferMarkt while aged 26, but lack of game time and his move to Major League Soccer’s outfit CF Montreal have seen him valued at around $5 million, five years later.It took Wanyama 10 years for his market value to grow 299 times to its peak and has taken Okumu less than three years to see his value move 25 times despite the difference in their playing positions, as well as the years the two players have spent in Europe, which gives Wanyama the upper hand.But with his recent rise, and with his peak years as a defender yet to kick in, Okumu seems definitely set for a value of $10 million soon. When?
