Angelo
Ogbonna is perhaps the most in-demand defender in Italian football right now as rumours of interest from Juventus, Arsenal, Everton, Bayern Munich, Milan and (inevitably) Manchester City become an almost daily occurrence. Yet outside of the peninsula not many will have heard his name and fewer still will have watched him play.
There is a simple reason why the central defender is so unheralded – he plays for Torino, a club that has spent the majority of the last sixty years in the shadow of city cousins Juventus and have only been in Serie A for two of the 23-year-olds five seasons as a professional.
Yet
during that time he has become vital to Torino, a standout performer in a string of unforgettable seasons for the once great club. Now the vice-captain, he has become an emblem of the fans who have erected a banner at the stadium reading ‘If you sell Ogbonna, prepare the coffin’. While clearly a threat to the much maligned owner Urbano Cairo, the sentiment perhaps holds true for the club itself, as without the player their fortunes could yet get worse.
The President seemed to realise this when asked about losing the defender by TuttoSport;
Angelo is not worth any less than Andrea Ranocchia and, as far as I know, he cost €19m. I already turned down an offer from Napoli in January when they bid €8m and a half-share in Fabiano Santacroce.
That wasn’t enough for us. If the player says that he wants to stay 110 per cent that that is one thing, if he says 80 per cent then that is another. I calmly want to understand the intentions of the boy.
Even the free-spending City would likely baulk at that price, but meeting somewhere between that ridiculous figure and the offer from Napoli would likely see a deal concluded quickly.
Agreeing terms with the player would be straightforward too, given that the second tier club has him under contract for another two seasons, paying him just 3,250€ per week.
But what would prospective buyers be getting for their money and what has he shown to date?
Born in the picturesque Southern Italian town of Cassino and of Nigerian descent he has been at Torino since he was just thirteen years old.
His two foremost traits are his impressive strength, a quality that could see him adapt to most leagues, and a great left foot. He is an accomplished passer who likes to play the ball out of defence which, on occasion, causes problems. At first glance it seems he is guilty of sometimes overplaying and that he would be better served not doing so, however this is more an indictment of the level of player around him than any personal flaw.
His other main attributes are impressive pace as well as the fact that he can play both as a left-sided central defender or a left back. Due to his age and Torino’s struggles his game still has some deficiencies, although he has worked hard to eradicate them.
Earlier in his career he was often exposed due to a poor sense of anticipation on high balls, a technical flaw he has improved upon greatly over the last twelve months as his ability to read the game has markedly increased.
The other issue with Ogbonna is that his ability to tackle with his right foot is quite poor, often forcing him to over-commit to challenges that are unnecessary, as his ten yellow cards last season would indicate. Looking at his development, particularly over the last two seasons, he seems to have outgrown Torino to the point one would suggest that now is the right time for him to cut his ties to the club and secure top-flight football elsewhere.
It is not only his club career suffering, as Cesare Prandelli commented when calling him up for his National team debut last month.
From a technical and potential standpoint he clearly belongs at that level but the Italy coach has warned his players that they must be playing regularly to be considered for selection. Prandelli told La Repubblica;
I would have called him sooner but we didn’t want to cause problems for Torino. We’ve been following him for a while and we’ll keep him in consideration for the future.
While it would be interesting to see if this were true, given that Serie B takes no breaks for International football but, with Euro 2012 looming large on the horizon it would be unwise of Ogbonna to gamble with his future in such a way. He was the first Torino player called to represent Italy since Alessandro Rosina in October 2007, and it reminded everyone of the player he can be.
Staying where he is could sadly see him become a one-call wonder, while the right move could see him fulfil his incredible potential. Juventus seem to be closest to a deal, but would struggle to match bids from England. Either way Angelo Ogbonna could well be far more well known very soon.
