Had it not been a delay in securing a visa to the United States of America and the coronavirus pandemic, former Gor Mahia youngster Tobias Otieno avers that he would have been hot on the heels of Harambee Stars skipper Victor Wanyama.
Otieno severed ties with Gor Mahia albeit on mutual agreement on January 15 after their 4-1 over Chemelil Sugar, with his sights trained on launching a professional career with USA's third tier outfit Union Omaha.
The club announced on their social media pages less than 24 hours to the Chemelil encounter that they had acquired the services of the 22-year-old player.
The stocky National U-23 Emerging Stars holding midfielder was scheduled to jet out to America days after the Chemelil match but three months down the line, the ambition to ply his trade abroad remains a pipe dream which he believes stands a chance of materialising once the coronavirus dust settles.
Having cast traits of a modern central defensive midfielder(CDM) for the time he has graced the Kenyan Premier League with Gor and Sony Sugar, Otieno has been touted as a replacement to Wanyama in the national team, Harambee Stars line-up —something he is looking forward to.
However, a visa hitch coupled with the global pandemic which has grounded all sporting activities stands between him and the desire to cement a place in both the U-23 and the senior team.
While the midfielder is cognizant of the comparisons between him and the former Tottenham Hotspurs man, he says it's just a matter of time before he secures a visa before jetting out to start his dream of following the footsteps of the latter.
"It will be an honour to play in the Emerging and senior team in the near future. I was summoned for the U23 team sometimes back and I have always wanted more and especially to play regularly and upgrade to the senior team. There have been comparisons between me and Wanyama but I will cross the bridge when I reach there and try to emulate him. I am happy age is on my side and I have gained experience for the time I played in Kenya and hopefully at some point, I will fill in his shoes in the national team," he said.
Otieno, a Gor acquisition before the start of the 2019-2020 season from Sony, sought to explain the delay in getting the visa saying: "It emerged that for the player to get a visa to the USA, his social media accounts had to be verified and has to source a working permit."
Harambee Stars winger Boniface Muchiri also confirmed of the tedious process of acquiring his visa to the USA where he is on trials. Another Stars' defender Joseph Okumu who played in the USA for years before switching to Sweden also concurred that obtaining a visa was a rugged affair.
Otieno is understood to have acquired his permit last month and his accounts were being scrutinised and would be verified soon.
" I did everything on time and was sure of being handed the green light to jet out. However, a few 'issues' held me back and the embassy requested me to wait. The waiting was prolonged by the pandemic but they are keen to dish out the permits. Everything is on track and I am hoping that normalcy will return soon. There should be no cause for alarm even though I can't wait to join my teammates in Omaha and quench my thirst to play abroad," he opened up.
Otieno began honing his talent at the famous Manyatta United in Kisumu, an academy which has proved a player conveyor belt for big teams in the region including Western Stima.
He ditched Manyatta for the Sony Youth and his hard work earned him a promotion to the senior team in 2016 at the age of 18. He acknowledges that dispensing senior players in the starting team was tough but after years of patience and hard work, he established himself in the first team and endeared himself to the club's fans and by extension those who follow local action.
Otieno earned his first U23 call up in November 2018 as part of the 57 players summoned by the then head coach Francis Kimanzi for Africa U23 Cup of Nations qualifiers trials.
Luck was on his side as he made the cut and made his debut in the team's 3-1 win away to Mauritius, starting ahead of Teddy Osok who anchored the midfield during the 5-0 win in the first leg of the opening round played at the Moi Stadium, Kasarani. The U23 tournament was held last year in Egypt and the best three in the tournament booked places for the 2020 Olympics set for next year in Tokyo, Japan.
The financial constraints at Sony in the recent years culminated into a massive player exodus last year and Gor leveraged on the situation to lure the midfielder to their side for a period of one year.
The record Kenyan champions also acquired the services of Patrick Odhiambo who served as Sony's head coach to fill in the void left by Hassan Oktay who ditched the club after a season at the helm. Odhiambo was later relegated to the rank of the assistant coach after Gor brought in Steven Polack.
With a host of experienced holding midfielders at Gor including Ernest Wendo, a 2017 Cecafa Senior Challenge winner with Stars, Otieno was deemed as an understudy to the former but he defied all odds to cement a place in the starting team.
Despite his young age and inexperience, Gor coach Steven Polack threw him in the deep end, relying on him to call shots in the midfield in Caf matches at the expense of the old boys.
Otieno reckons that featuring for Gor opened up opportunities for him but after consultations with his family and agent whom he declined to mention, he opted to start his professional career in the States.
"Gor is a big club in Africa and beyond and it is through donning their shirt that I was exposed to great opportunities. I wasn't aware teams were monitoring my performance until my agent opened up on the offers he had received. He is an experienced man and after having a word with my family, I ended up settling for Omaha. I thank Gor, Sony and all coaches who handled me at the grass-root level for moulding me into the player I am today, " he said
Since his exit, Gor have seemingly struggled to fill in his void with coach Polack shipping in experienced Ghanaian hard man Jackson Owusu who has been muscling for the starting berth with Wendo.
Otieno says he harbours no regrets of terminating his contract with Gor before securing his visa. The decision has since seen him stay out of employment for three months but he says his family has continued to offer him a shoulder to lean on as he waits for normalcy to return.
He expects the US embassy to fast-track the issuing of his visa and hopes the government will lift the ban on international flights soon.
"I was sure of getting the document in time before hell broke loose but nonetheless, I have no regrets. I left Gor with their blessings and have no regrets of terminating my contract with them before getting my visa," he assured.
While sporting activities remain suspended globally, Otieno counts himself lucky as Omaha have been sending him a training regime. Prior to the suspension of public gatherings, Otieno was training with Tusker Wazee.
He says the move by the club to share the training programs will help him adapt quickly once he joins them.
" The club treats me as one of their own despite being miles away. They always send me a training regime which helps me acquaint myself with their style of play as well as keep fit. I think I will not strain in catching up with the rest once I join them," he added.
