CM: €10m spent, 11 minutes – Milan’s plan for Odogu amid limited playing time

David Odogu is not getting regular playing time under Massimiliano Allegri, and AC Milan are plotting a loan move for him.

Milan turned to Odogu late in the summer transfer window, a name practically unheard of and with good reason. As opposed to the experienced names like Manuel Akanji and Joe Gomez, the German only had three senior appearances to his name when arriving.

As Calciomercato.com report, Akanji joined Inter because he wanted to be a key player in the Champions League, and Gomez was made to stay at Liverpool because they failed to get Marc Guehi, so Igli Tare paid €10m for Odogu.

Reflections underway

The 2006-born defender arrived as a surprise to both the Rossoneri fans and himself. Perhaps as expected, his playing time has been very limited: just 11 minutes for the first team in the Coppa Italia match against Lecce and one appearance for Milan Futuro.

The initial assessment is clear: Odogu is a promising prospect, but, as things stand, he’s not ready to play for Milan. Before the end of the year, Tare will make a decision on Odogu in consultation with the player’s entourage, who are expected in Milan shortly.

The option of a loan until the end of the season is gaining traction. David needs a significant challenge that can guarantee him crucial playing time to help him develop, ideally in Serie A, but the enquiries received so far have been primarily from German clubs.

Clearly, Tare would only approve the transfer after signing another defender given that Matteo Gabbia, Strahinja Pavlovic, Fikayo Tomori and Koni De Winter are the senior options at present.