Karl Etta Eyong: Why Europe’s Biggest Clubs Are Chasing Levante’s Talisman

A dusty pitch in Douala, Cameroon. No grass, faint painted lines, just a patch of earth where kids played the game they loved, in the hope of making it one day. That’s where Karl Etta Eyong spent his days in 2021, chasing the ball across uneven ground for local side Ecole de Football Galactique and learning to fight for every touch. It was far from glamorous, but that’s where his story really began.

Etta Eyong joined the youth sides of Cádiz CF in January 2022, leaving behind Cameroon. He learned to control the ball as it bobbled over stones, to shield it when the ground kicked back dust, to compete with raw hunger and aggression. Those early years built a striker who doesn’t fear contact or adversity; he’s already come through both to get to where he is now.

Fast forward three years, and the same young man is leading the line for Levante UD , scoring against Real Madrid and Girona, and drawing admiring glances from Barcelona , Real Madrid , and a number of Premier League clubs

Watch Eyong Etta for ten minutes and you’ll see what every scout writes down: strong, fast, brave. He relishes duels and rarely loses them. At 1.81 m, he’s not huge, but he plays bigger than he looks; he muscles defenders off the ball, manages to hold off bigger players, jumps higher than men taller than him, all the while taking hits without complaint.

His headed goals against Real Madrid and Girona weren’t one-offs. It is becoming his trademark finish. The goals were the product of excellent timing, bravery, and a willingness to attack danger. He thrives on physicality, goes shoulder to shoulder without blinking, and wins headers that most forwards would hesitate to challenge.

Levante coach Julian Calero described him best in an interview with Africa Top Sports :

“Etta has hunger and confidence, when you combine those, success follows.”

That hunger runs through every sprint he makes. It’s what separates him from most 22-year-olds.

Plenty of players flash ability, but few have the stats to support the hype. Etta Eyong does, and his Datamb percentiles for the 2025/26 season underline just how far he’s come.

He ranks in the top ten per cent of La Liga forwards for both non-penalty goals and expected goals. That’s elite finishing output for a striker in a mid-table team. His conversion rate (80.8 %) shows he’s not wasting chances, while his aerial success (71 %) highlights one of his defining traits, the ability to rise above and score.

– Sunday, 26 October 2025

For context, Etta Eyong played around 806 minutes this season and already has six goals and three assists . That puts him on track for 14 to 15 non-penalty goals over a full campaign, which is impressive for any 22-year-old in Spain’s top flight.

Etta Eyong’s numbers have been compared with some of Europe’s top forwards. Below is a Datamb radar showing his 2025/26 profile alongside Harry Kane (Tottenham 22/23) , Ivan Toney (Brentford 22/23) and Romelu Lukaku (Napoli 24/25) .

Visually, Etta Eyong’s radar isn’t far off Kane’s or Lukaku’s in their peak years. He’s already matching their finishing and aerial metrics despite playing fewer minutes and at a smaller club. This isn’t saying that he is as good as them, but it is positive to see him in comparison to such elite talents.

The only area where he trails is touches in the box, which says more about Levante’s possession share than his positioning. Put him in a team that dominates the ball, and that figure probably jumps up substantially. For scouts, this data screams potential.

Etta Eyong’s mix of traits makes him hard to pigeonhole. He can play with his back to goal like Lukaku, spin in behind like Ivan Toney , and, at times, attack the box like a young Samuel Eto’o, the comparison that follows him largely because of their shared nationality. He can hold up the ball well and can make nice, short, intricate passes to teammates, too. He’s an incredibly interesting talent.

In a recent interview with Africa Soccer , he said:

“Now that I’m a striker, I look up to Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o.

Against Girona, his assist came from a clever, quick one-two and a perfectly weighted pass, evidence of developing awareness. He presses intelligently, sometimes fervently, and also links play, and when the ball’s in the air, he treats it like it’s his. With a 71% aerial duel percentage, you can see why he thinks this way.

He’s not yet the complete striker, but that rawness is what makes him exciting. Every match feels like another upgrade in progress, and its scary to think where he can get to if he continues growing at this rate.

Karl Etta Eyong’s transfer to Levante was far from straightforward, and the details behind it could shape his next move. The deal’s complexity comes from Villarreal’s shared rights with Cádiz , which allowed Levante to sign him for around €3 million. Villarreal paid Cádiz €1.5 million as part of the arrangement and kept a right of first refusal to match any future bids.

Reports from Radio SER suggest the sell-on structure between the clubs is tiered. For any future transfer worth between €3 million and €7.5 million, Villarreal receive 80 percent of the profit. For bids between €7.5 million and €15 million, profits are split evenly, while anything above €15 million means Levante keep 80 percent. If Levante activate Villarreal’s buy-back option, Cádiz would automatically reclaim half of Etta Eyong’s rights, creating a tricky web of clauses that any buying club must navigate.

Barcelona were among those who tried to sign him in the summer, but the move was blocked by Financial Fair Play restrictions. The club are now waiting to see whether they will have enough 1:1 margin in January to revisit the deal. However, Article 5 of FIFA’s transfer regulations prevents a player from representing three different clubs in one season. Since Etta Eyong already played and scored for Villarreal before joining Levante , any potential move will have to wait until the summer of 2026.

Despite that, Barcelona remains convinced he is worth waiting for. Within the club, there is a growing belief that he could become the perfect replacement for Robert Lewandowski. His mix of strength, speed, and composure suits Hansi Flick’s system, and his age and attitude make him a sensible long-term investment.

Both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are closely monitoring his progress. Scouts from the two clubs have attended Levante matches this season to track his development. Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with him, showing how quickly his reputation has grown across Europe.

“My dream is to play in the Premier League and experience Boxing Day football.”

For now, Levante hold firm. His release clause stands at €30 million, and given his form of six goals and three assists in ten La Liga matches, they have no reason to sell. Villarreal and Cádiz will still benefit from any major offer, but the real challenge for interested clubs lies in the layers of clauses and regulations around him.

Etta Eyong’s rise is not only about statistics. It is about character and consistency. He plays with the hunger of someone who still feels he has everything to prove, chasing every ball and battling for every inch. For clubs searching for their next reliable number nine, he offers real value. From the bare pitches of Douala to one of the stories of this La Liga season, Karl Etta Eyong has earned every step of his journey.

Etta Eyong is not the finished article yet, and that is part of what makes him so interesting. His touches in the box, around 48 percent, suggest he can be isolated at times, and his link play under heavy pressure could still improve. It is worth remembering that he plays for Levante , a side that operates on just 40.4 percent possession this season under Julián Calero Fernández . Despite seeing less of the ball, Levante still average 11.1 shots per game and post 1.71 expected goals (xG) per match, which is impressive for a team that spends much of the game without control of possession. Of those attempts, 7.5 shots per game come from inside the penalty area, showing that they create high-quality chances even when playing on the break.

Within that setup, Etta Eyong averages 2.4 shots per game , a strong figure for a forward in a side that rarely dominates the ball. His efficiency in limited opportunities highlights both his movement and his ability to make the most of counter-attacking situations. The challenge will come if he joins a bigger club that plays in possession and faces deeper defences.

He will need to adjust to fewer transitions, tighter spaces, and the demand for more intricate link play in the final third. His passing is okay, but he is better with more intricate first touches, but he wouldn’t be considered someone who could drop deep like Harry Kane and then play it into the channels.

Playing outside the spotlight also makes it harder to know how he will handle the pressure that comes with a major move. At a club like Barcelona or Manchester United , every decision is magnified and every miss is discussed. Yet Etta Eyong already looks composed, carrying himself with quiet assurance. He is raw, but talented, and rarely appears unsettled.

Technically, he is solid, and mentally, he is fearless. With another full season of senior football, his decision-making and link play should continue to improve. The raw edges in his game are natural at 22, but the foundation is strong and the potential for growth is obvious. What you still have to consider is that he didn’t have an elite academy education like so many of his peers did.

For young players like Etta Eyong, timing is everything. Move too early and risk getting lost in a squad full of stars, stay too long and the market cools. Right now, he’s in the perfect spot, valued, visible and improving. Moving to a side like Barcelona is a risk. Many young forwards have moved there and failed, think Vitor Roque, Joao Felix, Pau Víctor, Francisco Trincão, Ousmane Dembele, Paco Alcácer, Malcom, the list goes on and on.

Etta Eyong has already said:

“Levante was the right choice for me to grow and learn. I’m focused on improving every day.”

That self-awareness might be his most important trait. He’s ambitious, but patient. If he continues this trajectory, the next move will take care of itself.

The journey from a rough pitch in Douala to being compared statistically with Harry Kane says everything about Karl Etta Eyong’s rise. He didn’t come through a polished academy system with specialist coaching and top-class facilities. Most of what he has was built on instinct and repetition, learning the game in its purest form rather than through structured drills.

That background has shaped the player he is today. His strength, timing and movement come as much from natural ability as from formal training. Because he missed that early academy education, he still has plenty of room to grow, and coaches believe he will keep learning quickly. The thought of combining his raw talent with top-level coaching makes his ceiling enormous.

Scouts see more than just numbers when they watch him. They see a forward whose development has come the hard way, yet whose progress has been rapid. From the street pitches of Douala to La Liga’s data reports, Etta Eyong’s story is built on raw ability, adaptability and a hunger to improve. If he continues learning at this pace, his rise could be only just beginning.

Karl Etta Eyong fits the profile every data-driven club wants: quick, physical, adaptable, with metrics that translate across leagues. He can lead a high press, attack aerially, and finish at a top-level rate. For a generation of clubs balancing budgets with ambition, he’s exactly the kind of striker that makes sense. With a release clause of only 30 million, it isn’t surprising to see so many big clubs willing to take a punt on a player who looks the real deal.

He’s not just a project; he’s proof that talent can come from anywhere, even a dusty pitch in Douala. And that’s why Europe’s biggest clubs are all chasing Karl Etta Eyong.