Tottenham Hotspur fans got their first glimpse of Wilson Odobert in action for their club on Saturday as Ange Postecoglou handed the surprise summer signing his debut in the win over Everton.
Spurs secured their first victory of the campaign with an emphatic 4-0 thrashing of the Toffees at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Heung-min Son scoring twice while Yves Bissouma and Cristian Romero also got on the scoresheet.
Tottenham caught many off-guard by signing Wilson Odobert during the transfer window, with very few links surrounding the deal before it was all but completed. And it may have surprised some when Ange Postecoglou decided to hand him a full debut against Sean Dyche’s side on Saturday.
Odobert was never afraid to run at players and saw plenty of the ball on his Tottenham bow. He was taken off midway through the second-half, with Richarlison replacing the 19-year-old. But it seems that he managed to impress.
Wilson Odobert makes Tottenham debut in emphatic win over Everton
Speaking on Sky Sports (broadcast on 24/8; 17:34), Michael Dawson issued his verdict on Odobert’s performance, and made an exciting prediction.
“Wilson Odobert coming in for his first start for Spurs since signing from Burnley, very, very positive. I think he will be really good. The way he drives, the way he attacks the full-backs, good performance,” he said.
The statistics which will really please Ange Postecoglou as youngster makes Spurs bow
A couple of statistics from the game may well really please Postecoglou when it comes to Odobert’s performance, particularly as he is still finding his feet in North London and is going to need some time to fully adapt to his new surroundings.
As shown by Whoscored, Odobert completed 31 accurate passes during his time on the pitch – that is more than Heung-min Son, Brennan Johnson or Dejan Kulusevski. Son and Johnson saw out the full 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, Odobert also completed three challenges. Cristian Romero was the only Tottenham player to make more, with the co-vice-captain managing to make six against the Toffees.
Of course, he is likely to be judged by the impact he makes in the final third in the years to come, but it is encouraging that he is already working extremely hard for the team when you consider what Postecoglou often wants his players to do.