Sadiq Umar’s Impactful Return to Real Sociedad

Sadiq Umar once again proved instrumental in securing a positive result for Real Sociedad, earning a penalty in the match against Elche that was converted by Mikel Oyarzabal, resulting in a final score of 1-1. This momentous event comes 20 months after his last significant contribution, which occurred on March 9, 2024, when he scored one of the goals in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Granada, a match fondly remembered for its dramatic comeback.

Since that time, up until this past Friday, the Nigerian forward had garnered more headlines due to the success of his loan spell at Valencia during the second half of the previous season, where he scored six goals. This contrasted sharply with his limited appearances for Real Sociedad, where he had struggled to make an impact. His desire to return to Valencia was evident, particularly as the club had not exercised their option to re-sign him at a lower cost, nor had they accepted better offers from Real Sociedad.

Throughout the transfer market, Sadiq was listed as a player available for transfer, to the extent that he was left without a squad number. He spent a minimal amount of time in preseason training under Sergio Francisco due to disagreements with Jokin Aperribay regarding his future. Real Sociedad appeared to favor a transfer to a club offering a more lucrative deal, particularly for a permanent move, but Sadiq was only interested in a return to Valencia, which had made a less appealing offer.

Despite efforts to find a resolution before the close of the transfer window, Real Sociedad could not offload Sadiq, ultimately assigning him a squad number. Sergio Francisco gave him minutes in the closing stages of matches against Mallorca and Barcelona, which seemed to be a last-ditch effort to place him in a club in the UAE, though that plan also fell through.

Sadiq returned to the sidelines until, likely due to Karrikaburu’s injury, he played alongside other non-regulars in the Copa del Rey match against Negreira, where he missed two clear scoring opportunities. However, in a surprising turn, he was brought on by Sergio in the 64th minute of the match against Elche. Demonstrating significant involvement, he won a penalty in the 88th minute, which Oyarzabal converted to level the score at 1-1. This marked Sadiq’s positive contribution to Real Sociedad’s result after 20 months of absence.