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18-Year-Old Partick Dorgu Is Attracting Europe’s Top Clubs
Pantaleo Corvino is the mastermind behind discovering football’s hidden gems, and his latest find, Morten Hjulmand, proves it. Two years after acquiring the young defensive midfielder for just €170,000, he sold him to Sporting CP for an astounding €18 million.
Now, Patrick Dorgu, a different Dane, appears to have been the victim of Corvino’s enchanted touch once more. The 18-year-old made an impressive debut in professional football and is already attracting attention from Europe’s top clubs.
Why are Liverpool, Barcelona, and Manchester City closely monitoring Patrick Dorgu, and who is he exactly? Let’s explore the background of this contemporary full-back.
Dorgu, who was raised in Denmark despite having Nigerian parents, is a result of FC Nordsjaelland’s excellent youth development program. Tom Vernon’s team, which took over the club in 2016, has established a reputation for developing young artists. They have made over €50 million from the sale of homegrown players in the last five years alone.
Unexpectedly, Lecce managed to secure Dorgu for just €200,000, and it became clear that Corvino had made yet another excellent deal. Dorgu contributed significantly to Lecce’s Under-19s league championship in his first season in Italy, scoring four goals in 33 appearances.
Lecce, aware of Dorgu’s enormous potential, decided to extend his contract until 2027, despite rumors of interest from other European teams.
Roberto D’Aversa, the senior team coach, helped Dorgu make a name for himself during preseason friendlies. Although initially Antonino Gallo’s backup, fate had other plans for him during Lecce’s Coppa Italia season-opening match. Along with providing a strong defense, Dorgu also helped set up Pontus Almqvist for the game-winning goal. He made his Serie A debut the following week, helping Lecce to a shock 2-1 victory over Lazio.
The football world is eager to see where Patrick Dorgu’s talent will lead him next because of his meteoric rise.