Samu Aghehowa: The one who got away from Atlético?

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Editor’s note: This column was written by freelance football journalist Zach Lowy. Follow him on X/Twitter to keep up with his work.

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It has been a productive start to the summer transfer window for Atletico de Madrid. After succumbing to a fourth straight trophyless campaign, Atlético have wasted no time in rebuilding their squad in order to gear up for a heightened title challenge in LaLiga.

The Rojiblancos have completed a double swap for Atalanta goalkeeper Juan Musso (who spent the previous season

on loan at Atleti) and Atalanta fullback Matteo Ruggeri for a combined €20 million, while they’ve also completed the permanent signing of Clément Lenglet from Barcelona on a free transfer, who also spent the previous season on loan. Atletico then signed two of the most promising midfielders in LaLiga: Álex Baena and Johnny Cardoso joined for a combined €66 million from Villarreal and Real Betis, while Lyon’s Thiago Almada completed his move to Madrid on Thursday. Atleti will pay €21m for 50 percent of Almada’s rights, but have also reportedly inserted a clause to gradually remove the sell-on clause that his previous parent club Botafogo retained up until this moment.

There have been quite a few players who have departed the Riyadh Air Metropolitano this summer, including veteran leaders like Axel Witsel, César Azpilicueta, Ángel Correa and Reinildo Mandava, as well as younger talents Rodrigo Riquelme, who joined Real Betis for €8m, and Arthur Vermeeren, who made his move to RB Leipzig permanent for €20 million. Atleti have made a total of €36 million from the sales of Correa, Riquelme and Vermeeren, and they look set to bring in some additional cash with the prospective sale of Rodrigo De Paul to Inter Miami. What’s more, they’ve banked an additional €12 million from the sale of Samu Aghehowa to Porto.

Born in Melilla, Spain, to Nigerian parents, Samuel “Samu” Omorodion Aghehowa grew up in Seville before moving to nearby Granada’s academy in 2021 and ascending through the youth ranks, scoring 18 goals in the 2022/23 season to lead Granada B to the Segunda Federación promotion play-offs. He made his first-team debut on August 14, 2023, starting and scoring in a 3–1 away loss against Atlético, prompting the Rojiblancos to activate his €6 million release clause and sign him to a five-year deal.

But rather than compete with Antoine Griezmann, Memphis Depay, Álvaro Morata and Correa for a starting spot in attack, Samu was sent out on loan to Deportivo Alavés. The decision to leave Andalusia for the Basque Country worked wonders for the teenage striker, who emerged as Alaves’ top scorer with eight goals and guided them to safety; Granada succumbed to relegation.

After Julián Alvarez and Alexander Sørloth arrived last summer, it became clear that Aghehowa’s prospects for regular minutes at Atlético had been reduced, and that he was being viewed as a financial commodity rather than a viable first-team player. Atleti looked set to cash in on him in July after agreeing a deal with Chelsea for a reported €40 million plus add-ons, only for the medicals to uncover issues surrounding an ankle injury.

This, combined with issues negotiating image rights, would see Aghehowa miss out on a move to London before being excluded from first-team training. He left for Paris with his future uncertain and proceeded to win a gold medal with Spain in the Summer Olympics; two weeks later, he was on a flight to Porto after signing a five-year contract.

Photo by Diogo Baptista/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Samu took the opportunity by the scruff of its neck and delivered a sensational sophomore season in professional football with the Dragons, proving a consistently bright spot in what was otherwise a gloomy campaign for Porto. It was a campaign that would saw him change his name from Samu Omorodion to Samu Aghehowa to honor his mother, and that would also see him make the transition to one of the hottest young strikers in Europe.

Aghehowa filled the void of Porto’s departing strikers Evanilson and Mehdi Taremi, excelling as the lone center forward with 19 goals and 3 assists in 30 Liga Portugal appearances and adding 6 goals in the Europa League (including a brace vs. Manchester United). He continued his stellar form in the FIFA Club World Cup, bagging a goal in Porto’s last two group stage matches vs. Inter Miami and Al Ahly.

Only Désiré Doué (13), Lamine Yamal (12) and Assane Diao (8) have scored more goals amongst U21 players than Aghehowa (7) in 2025. It’s why Porto elected to acquire the remaining 50 percent of his economic rights from Atlético for ​​€12 million, one year after acquiring the first half for €15 million.

Whereas Aghehowa managed to enhance his value in the United States, Sørloth’s stock took a hit after an underwhelming display in the Club World Cup. After coming off the bench in their 4-0 defeat to PSG, Sørloth started alongside Alvarez against Seattle Sounders, against whom he registered four shots and missed two big chances before Griezmann replaced him in the 66th minute of a 3-1 win.

Sørloth continued in the XI at the expense of Griezmann, with Atleti in need of a wide margin of victory against Botafogo in the final group game. But again, Sørloth failed to make his mark, missing one big chance, firing four of his shots off target and having the other blocked, before coming off in the 84th minute. By the time that Alvarez set up Griezmann’s winner in the 87th minute, it was too little too late – Botafogo remained ahead on goal differential and finished second in their group, level on 6 points with PSG and Atleti.

Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

After a stellar 2023/24 season that saw him finish as the second-top scorer in Spain with 23 goals for Villarreal, Sørloth has managed a respectable 24 goals in 53 appearances for the Rojiblancos, finishing as their top scorer in LaLiga with 20 goals. But at nearly 30 years of age, he isn’t getting any younger, in contrast to the 21-year-old Aghehowa — who is building a reputation as a top young goal-getter, as well as a competitor for Spain’s starting #9 position at next year’s FIFA World Cup.

It begs the question – should Atlético even have bothered with Sørloth for €32 million instead of giving Aghehowa a chance in the first team? We’ll never fully know, especially amid Diego Simeone’s contention that Samu wanted to leave Atlético after changing agents last June.

The onus will be on Sørloth as he looks to impose himself in Simeone’s attacking setup in 2025/26 and bounce back from his Club World Cup woes. But as for Aghehowa, he’ll be looking to take his game up a level under new Porto manager Francesco Farioli.

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