News Articles > Why did Mipo Odubeko's loan at Huddersfield Town fail?

Why did Mipo Odubeko's loan at Huddersfield Town fail?

04/01/2022

Mipo Odubeko came in on a season-long loan deal from West Ham at the end of the summer transfer window and after only 113 minutes in 6 substitute appearances, the loan was cut short in the January transfer window.
He came to West Yorkshire on the back of raving reports from West Ham fans and he had the statistics to back that up, 24 goals, 4 assists in 20 appearances for the West Ham youth teams. So how come this wasn't translated into goals for the Terriers?

Why didn't he fit in the Town team?

I think the main point is down to the style of play that Huddersfield chooses to employ. Town don't rely on their striker for goals, Danny Ward has 7 this season, but that is only 22% of Town's overall total. In Town's style of play, the striker is needed to do a lot of running off the ball. Mipo isn't that sort of player, he wants to be on the line of the last defender and run in behind. Town doesn't play those balls to their strikers, Danny Ward hasn't scored a goal like that all season, all of his goals have come from in the 18-yard box and are poachers/ experienced striker finishes.
Potentially he could have been used on the left of a front three, in place of Koroma, but in the games that he played for Town he looked barely up to speed for Championship football, especially in Town's team. Carlos Corberan noted this in his press conference that Mipo had always been available, he has just didn't feel he was up to speed to impact the team in the important moments.

It was a signing brought in when Jordan Rhodes was sidelined for three months with a back injury and now Rhodes is back fit, Mipo's chances were hindered further. Fraizer Campbell has been limited to only a handful of minutes this season and Kian Harratt is waiting in the wings after scoring goals for fun in the B team this season so far. So Town are not short of attacking options.
It makes sense for Town to send him back as Mipo doesn't fit Town's style and isn't benefiting from sitting on the sidelines as a young player. It is a shame that it didn't work out at Town, but he is only 19 and has a lot of time left in his career, hopefully for him it works out in the end.