AC Milan have taken a risk in the centre-back department this summer, and it remains to be seen if it will pay off.
The summer transfer window closed on Monday night, and Milan’s final addition was a central defender. However, it was not one that had been linked before the last day. While waiting to see him in action, check out igaming software.
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A big risk taken
Before the most recent league match against Lecce, commenting on transfer rumours surrounding Manuel Akanji’s possible arrival at Milan, the sporting director Igli Tare made it clear what he was after.
“Has Akanji given a response yet? Not yet, but this change in formation in the last few days has put us in a bit of trouble. We need to be good at bringing in an experienced player in the last 72 hours: Akanji has that and also has the quality to play for Milan,” he said.
Milan’s aim was to acquire a player capable of leading the defence. For this reason, in addition to the Manchester City player (who later joined Inter), the club were monitoring several experienced prospects in recent transfer window, particularly Liverpool’s Joe Gomez.
Everything seemed set for the Englishman, but the Reds did not give the final green light to his departure because they first wanted to find a replacement. The man they had in mind was Marc Guehi, who did not end up joining.
Milan were unable to wait forever, so they decided to change not only their objective but also their strategy, and signed David Odogu from Wolfsburg who is just 19 years of age. While a modern defender with plenty of promise, he has just three senior games to his name.
Odogu developed between Union Berlin and Wolfsburg, and his main quality is undoubtedly his aggressiveness in one-on-one situations , combined with excellent aerial ability and good technique in possession.
Last season, the 19-year-old made his Bundesliga debut, but already impressed several scouts in the youth teams, particularly those of Chelsea who were close to signing him in 2024.
He is used to winning too: with the Germany Under-17s he lifted first the World Cup and then the European Championship. During the World Cup victory in Indonesia, the German even managed to pass two exams in history and geography.
However, it begs the question: how and why did Milan shift from signing a guaranteed starter to deciding that a teenager was good enough? With no disrespect to Odogu – who could yet be a Thiaw-esque signing – the change in strategy leaves a lot of doubts.
