David Odogu was perhaps the most mysterious signing of the summer window, and he remains the subject of some confusion.
As Calciomercato.com report, Odogu’s arrival on the final day of the mercato was a surprise to many fans given the previous links with more established centre-backs. In fact, even the player himself was probably a bit taken aback, as were his old club Wolfsburg.
We start from an important premise: the enthusiasm and willingness shown in every training session by the defender has pleasantly ‘surprised’ Massimiliano Allegri in these first few months, so he is putting everything into his new adventure.
Milan’s plan
The decision to focus on Odogu is a gamble by Igli Tare, who has decided to invest a significant sum in the German. Wolfsburg will get €7m guaranteed, with the potential addition of another €3m in bonuses.
Odogu is considered a talent in German football based on his performances with the youth national teams at U17 through to U20 level, but he had only made a couple of Bundesliga appearances. Last summer, Fiorentina and Bologna also considered signing him, but Milan moved quickly and decisively.
The 19-year-old has so far found little playing time under Allegri. In fact, he has only played 11 minutes for Milan in the Coppa Italia victory over Lecce on September 23rd. While he’s not finding any playing time with the first team, he’s had the opportunity to play significantly more with Milan Futuro.
He played the full games against Casatese (September 24th) and Real Calepina (earlier in the week). These minutes are needed to keep rhythm, but his agents – in agreement with the Milan management – are already working to secure a loan move during the winter transfer window.