Derby County boss Paul Warne has given an update on Kwaku Oduroh who is on loan with National League Side Rochdale.
The Rams currently sit in fourth place in the League One table and have been firing on all cylinders after somewhat of a slow start. They would however lose their first game in 2024 in dramatic fashion to fellow promotion-chasers Peterborough United.
A 94th minute Ricky-Jade Jones strike would see Posh take all three points home from Pride Park in what was a frustrating loss for the hosts having been in front twice.
It’s not all doom and gloom for Warne’s side as that was their first loss in nine games, though the manager will be looking to add to his squad in January to improve their promotion chances.
Although players will no doubt be brought in externally, Warne could choose to recall loan player or even promote from youth teams to further bolster the squad. There is one Rams player out on loan currently who has really caught the eye of late, that is Kwaku Oduroh at Rochdale.
The defender joined National League side Rochdale earlier on in the campaign on a season-long loan however Derby do have the option to recall. Oduroh has been in good form of late and even netted in Rochdale’s 2-0 win against AFC Fylde on Boxing Day, his first for the club.
The young defender has made 19 National league appearances for the Dale this season and has helped them climb up the table to 10th. Though it is unlikely that he’ll be recalled in January, Oduroh’s performances have not gone unnoticed by his parent club’s manager.
Speaking to Derbyshire live about the defender’s progression, Warne said:
“We’ve been keeping up to date on him and we have had him watched a few times and he scored the other week bless him. We will keep monitoring him through the course of the season.”
Oduroh is currently in his final year of his contract at Pride Park and needs to continue progressing in order to earn a new contract with his parent club. The loan move is working for him though as he’s getting far more game time than he would at Pride Park.
It seems unlikely that the youngster would get recalled unless their is a serious injury crisis. At 21 years of age, Oduroh has plenty of potential, yet isn’t totally proven in the EFL. It would certainly be a risk to integrate him back into the squad whilst doing well out on loan.
Writer’s View
It seems like Oduroh might be doing enough to earn himself a new contract at Pride Park and it is a situation which is being monitored by the club currently. Though he may have not met the potential he showed during his time with Manchester City’s under-23 side, there is still time for the youngster.
The transfer window is important for the Rams, as they’ll be wanting to get back into the Championship at the nearest opportunity. With the title race wide-open currently the difference between making or missing the automatic places could be down to how the club handle themselves in January.
Senior Editor
