Taken from Bettor |
Many players, throughout Europe, have been linked with various clubs and teams from many different leagues and nations. Some of these players are well known, and some are not. This blog, profile, whatever you may call it, is on a player, many probably have never heard of or seen play.
He’s of Uzbek origin and plies his trade in Russia, alongside Cameroonian star Samuel Eto’o, at cash-rich Anzhi. The Uzbek international has been heavily linked with a move to English giants Arsenal over the past year so, ever since he impressed at the recent Asian Nations Cup in Qatar, where Uzbekistan reached the semi-finals and ended fourth in the tournament.
The player that I’m referring to here is Odil Ahmedov, a defensive player known for his attacking prowess and endeavor, as he displayed throughout the Asian tournament. Ahmedov, aged 24, is a lanky player who stands at exactly 6 feet tall.
He’s known for his drive, willingness to go forward at every opportunity, tough tackler, who’s decent technically with a cracker of a right foot as he displayed with this stunner on the opening day of the tournament against the hosts, Qatar.
He’s a versatile player who can play at either defensive midfield or in the center of defence, a position he played in throughout the tournament, and excelled at. In my opinion, Ahmedov was one of the best players in that tournament, and Uzbekistan’s best alongside their skipper- Server Djeparov.
Despite his excellent performances, Ahmedov, due to his attacking endeavors and runs, can be caught out of position as displayed in the semi-final against Australia. The Socceroos walked all over the Uzbeks and ran ragged, thrashing them 6-0 with Ahmedov and his defence culpable, committing plenty of errors throughout especially when being on the end of a counter attack, sliced apart by Australia’s superior physicality and aggression.
This begs the question: Can Ahmedov settle in the more physical Premier League? Ahmedov does seem to lack some muscle, so he may need to buff up a little if he wants to succeed in such a physically demanding league, as displayed in that aforementioned Australia encounter.
His willingness to bomb forward at every opportunity can also prove to be a detriment to his team, especially when defending and is also not the quickest of players.
However, I remain a fan of Ahmedov’s, and at the reported valuation of around 5 million euros, he’ll be a bargain buy for the club that seals his services.
Arsenal, the most heavily linked side for his signature, are reportedly looking to sell one or two of their defenders, and Ahmedov can prove to be a more than adequate back-up as a defender, or his preferred position, as a holding midfielder.
I hope to see Ahmedov in a top, higher level European league in the near future.
Written by Omar Almasri
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