GdS: The ’16 minutes of Odogu’ – Milan’s plan for their most mysterious summer signing

David Odogu was one of the more curious signings of the winter window for AC Milan, and he remains an object of mystery now.

La Gazzetta dello Sport begin a report by stating that it is difficult to give a complete definition of Odogu’s season. Arriving at Milan at 19 is a good starting point, but considerations must be made taking all the factors into account.

On the one hand, there’s the aura of an international club fighting for the Scudetto, there’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Milanello, there’s Luka Modric setting standards in training, and a trophy room unmatched in Italian football.

Then there’s a coach like Massimiliano Allegri, who loves to explain football throughout the week, especially from a defensive perspective. The 16 minutes that Odogu has had on the field so far tell a story, though.

Just two glimpses

Calling it a wasted season would be excessive, but it certainly could have gone better in terms of use. Odogu, a German defender who spent time at Union Berlin and Wolfsburg, is last in the squad in terms of minutes played.

In front of him he has Tomori, Gabbia and Pavlovic, who have recently been joined by a rapidly improving De Winter. But that’s not all: when Pavlovic was missing and De Winter wasn’t yet so reliable, Allegri placed Bartesaghi on the centre-left. So, there were no openings.

Image: AC Milan

Odogu only got 12 minutes in the Coppa Italia against Lecce and four in the league against Verona. To give him a bit more playing time, he was sent to Milan Futuro three times (all 90-minute outings).

The signs pointed to a possible loan deal in January, allowing him some more consistent senior minutes. A dry loan deal would be useful for him to return to Milanello in June and decide whether to keep him or let him leave again.

However, the Rossoneri’s winter window saw no defender arrive, so Odogu’s departure was also stalled. He’s therefore destined to remain where he is, and without many games. Nonetheless, he knows this is a valuable opportunity to understand how a top-tier club operates.

Once this step is completed, the rest will follow. Milan paid €7m plus €3m in bonuses for Odogu last August, and no verdicts will be made in the short-term about whether he was worth that much, and if those Beckenbauer comparisons were accurate.