Balogun or Ajayi: Who should worry Omeruo more?

A whole lot can change in 12 months, something Kenneth Omeruo will know a thing or two about following Leganes’ relegation from La Liga.

For the former Chelsea defender, 2018/19 was a really good year with Lega, where he thrived initially on loan for Mauricio Pellegrino’s side to end the campaign in 13th as arguably the team’s best central defender.

He then rode the wave of that rosy season in the Spanish top flight to be one of Gernot Rohr’s leading men at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. While Odion Ighalo got most of the rave reviews for ending top scorer at the continental showpiece, Omeruo was arguably the Super Eagles’ best performer and certainly their most influential defender as they finished third.

However, the emergence of Semi Ajayi after the Afcon saw the Kaduna-born defender surprisingly lose his place at the heart of the Nigeria defence alongside captain William Troost-Ekong.

This could have turned out differently had work permit issues in Spain not caused Omeruo to pull out of September’s friendly vs Ukraine in Dnipro. Ajayi deputised for the ex-Blue against Andriy Shevchenko’s side and has started every game for the West African nation since.

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While persisting with the towering defender at centre-back seemed odd initially, Ajayi’s steady improvement with West Bromwich Albion in 19/20 was striking. Having joined Slaven Bilic’s team from relegated Rotherham United, the former Arsenal defender was largely consistent during a gruelling Championship campaign that culminated in automatic promotion on the final day.

Up until football’s suspension, it seemed like the West Bromwich man was the only competition for Omeruo, but Leon Balogun’s resurgence since the turn of the year has seen him roll back the years to show the sort of form that saw him form half of the ‘Oyibo Wall’ in the second half of the 2010s.

After a largely frustrating time at Brighton & Hove Albion, the 32-year-old was part of the Wigan Athletic group that rallied late on in the Championship season trying to beat the drop after entering administration.

Even though the Latics couldn’t retain their second-tier status, the former Mainz centre-back seemed back to his very best following a run of games.

Given he endured a torrid time in Nigeria’s 2-0 Afcon defeat by Madagascar just over a year ago, where he was culpable in the concession of the first, Balogun’s short spell and early-season form at Rangers bodes well if the goal is to push for a Super Eagles return.

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Meanwhile, Omeruo’s end to the season was a bit of a mixed bag. His performances were decent-to-good but Leganes’ poor run of results meant satisfactory individual performances never really translated into points for the Cucumber Growers.

After a tough start to the season, the 26-year-old nearly returned to his 18/19 form and was playing well till injury struck post-lockdown.

What made this period stand out was how that injury, as well as Chidozie Awaziem’s struggles at the time, saw Javier Aguirre stumble on a central defensive trio that kept Omeruo out of the side till the end of the season.

As far as a place in Rohr’s Nigeria is concerned, the triumvirate are locked in a three-way battle to partner the nation’s captain Troost-Ekong.

Ajayi, 26, is probably the bigger threat to the former Chelsea defender because he seemed to be in favour just before a positive season at the Hawthorns and could well be the likelier to challenge Omeruo.

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The Albion defender also has age and durability on his side, whereas Balogun, 32, won’t be a mainstay in the Super Eagles selection even if he regains his place. Injuries have also been a bugbear for the former Brighton defender whose resurgence has nonetheless been pleasing to see.

A keen eye will be kept on Ajayi at West Bromwich at the start of next season’s Premier League, assessing the performances of the Nigeria defender to evaluate his progress at the top level. Balogun, for his part, has been quick out of the blocks for Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side and looks to have picked up where he left off with Wigan. He wasn’t only a defensive colossus on debut vs Aberdeen, he then played even better in Sunday’s victory over St Mirren.

Omeruo’s performances haven’t been bad, rather the raised standard, increased competition from Ajayi and resurgence of Balogun at various points in the last 12 months are putting his place in the side in danger.

Dropping further down the pecking order won’t be ideal, especially after that 18/19 season and dominant Afcon campaign, still, the turnaround in the ex-Chelsea centre-back’s fortunes since isn’t any less notable.