Clarke Oduor happy to make Barnsley debut after Leeds United exit

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Clarke Oduor’s exit from Leeds this summer came out of the blue. Plenty felt that the Kenyan wideman had the properties necessary to be a success at Leeds, especially under Marcelo Bielsa. 

But he was sold to Barnsley at the start of August, taking many by surprise. Indeed, Leeds boss Bielsa even admitted to the Yorkshire Evening Post that he was not overly keen on letting Oduor go. 

So it was clear that Oduor wanted to play regular football, which was the reason behind his move to Oakwell. However, until this weekend, that was not happening. Oduor finally made his debut for the Tykes at the weekend, playing one minute as Barnsley lost 3-2 to Cardiff City. 

Speaking to Leeds Live, he spoke about his debut and playing at Oakwell with former Leeds team-mates Aapo Halme and Mallik Wilks.

“It’s been good.

“It’s obviously a new challenge for me because I’ve been at Leeds for a long time, but, after coming here, the players and staff have all made me feel welcome and there’s a good togetherness.

“It’s good to have them here because it means I’m not alone. Knowing some of the boys here made it easier to settle in.”

TBR’s View

It is hard to see how Oduor would have made an impact at Leeds this season. Barry Douglas, Stuart Dallas, Leif Davis and current first-choice Ezgjan Alioski would have all been ahead of him in the role.

So it is great to see he has finally got his chance in the first-team at Barnsley and can hopefully find his feet and regular first-team football down the M1.