Midfield dynamo Omeonga happy to be living it up in Scotland again
THE first time Stephane Omeonga came to Scotland, his manager was sacked within a week. A second loan spell at Hibs was cut short by a pandemic. And here he is again, trying for third-time lucky. So is the Livingston midfielder simply a glutton for punishment?
‘I think I just fit here in Scottish football,’ he grins and certainly his current manager would agree. After watching the Belgian deliver a commanding midfield performance at Celtic Park in October, David Martindale likened him to French World Cup winner N’Golo Kante.
The comparison made Omeonga cringe. ‘The last person who said that was sacked one week later,’ he winces, referencing a quip made by Neil Lennon on the day he signed for Hibs from Genoa back in January 2019.
Omeonga played on for new boss Paul Heckingbottom and made enough of an impression to be invited back under Jack Ross a year later.
Popular with the supporters during both spells at Easter Road, it’s perhaps surprising that Livingston should be the Premiership team to land him on a two-year contract.
Yet just as he’s been held in high regard by his managers, so the 25-year-old has a pretty solid opinion of the game in this country.
‘I loved my loan at spells at Hibs,’ he says. ‘The chance to play big games against the likes of Celtic, Aberdeen, Hearts. They are good games to take part in. Since I came, I think I’ve shown good things and I have more to give. I’m happy that I’ve come back.’
Omeonga (right) started out in Anderlecht’s youth system before moving to Avellino, an Italian third-tier side in 2016.
A year later, he was off to Genoa and, initially, looked to be on the cusp of something special. Although he enjoyed his time in
Edinburgh, he kept being drawn back to Italy before finally cutting his losses after a spell at Pescara.
He explains: ‘I wanted go back to Italy because five years ago I played 30 games in Serie B. I was 20 years old and I liked it. But we changed manager three or four times over the season and got relegated. So I needed a change.
‘Hibs was the first time I’ve been to a club where the fans were so close to the players, showing them support and love.
‘In Italy and Belgium, it’s not the same at all. I think that’s what made me like the city so much.’
The Livingston link came via Marvin Bartley, his team-mate at Easter Road, and now assistant to Martindale.
‘I spoke a lot with Marv before I came here. He said the gaffer believed I had what it takes to play and that was the main thing. ‘He said the gaffer likes to play with a lot of energy, we run a lot and that’s me. I needed to play this season and it made sense to come here.’ Today he will go up against Hearts, a club for which he has no great affection but plenty of respect.
‘Fair play to them because they were in the Championship last season,’ he says. ‘We lost 3-0 at Tynecastle, so we need to get revenge. When I did the warm-up the Hearts fans were singing things about me. I’m not going to say what as it’s rude. ‘Every week I have Hibs fans messaging me but I’m taking this game as a Livi player. I want to win, but maybe just a little bit more...’