Growing up in East London, Jaiden Odle has loved football since the young age of four years old. Much of that love for the game is inspired by Jaiden’s father, who himself played football in his early years alongside Rio Ferdinand in Peckham, South London. Jaiden states that his dad, “Influenced me a lot, he is always talking about football.”
Despite his dad being his biggest supporter Jaiden said that he is also his biggest critic, “other than me… he is always telling me in what ways I can improve”.
Strengths And Weaknesses
Those areas to improve are very clear to Jaiden. When asked about where his weaknesses lie, the 20 year-old responded: “More composure. I get frustrated quickly, when the ball is not coming around quick enough you can see me get frustrated or when I can’t do the passes I want to do… and my finishing needs to improve, there have been a couple of shots recently that have just been a little…soft”
Formerly playing in Charlton Athletic’s Development system, Jaiden’s strengths are very clear to see, for anyone who watches him, as soon as he steps on to the pitch. “Quick” as Jaiden puts it, or “Fast” as his Head Coach Ryan Gordon puts it, Odle’s blistering pace alongside the energy he brings up and down the right flank is astonishing to watch.
Weapon
However, it is another part of Jaiden’s game which Coach Gordon says he uses as a ‘weapon’ for his side. The long throw. “I’ve never seen a player who can hurl it as far as him… it’s a weapon for us…it contributes to about 10-20% of our goals”. Jaiden added that, “my dad talks a lot about Rory Delap, his throws were insane so I would watch him throw the ball and I would think ‘I could throw like that’.”
Despite Coach Gordon describing Jaiden as an “old school defender”, Odle expressed that he doesn’t mind where he plays on the pitch, “as long as I get to play”. That is great mind-set for Odle to have as there has been many times the right-back has seen himself pushed further up the pitch to a more attacking spot. This is in part due to his creativity, of which the Liverpool fan said his style is inspired by Liverpool and England full-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is known for his unimaginable assist numbers for a defender.
One Of The First Names On The Team Sheet
Now in his third year at the University of East London (UEL), this is only Jaiden’s first year playing for the East London First Team. The first two years at UEL saw Odle play for the East London Third Team, but the right-back’s jump up is a symbol of just how hard he works off the pitch.
“He embraced the services that are on offer at UEL, such as the strength and conditioning and sports psychology, and used them to his advantage and progressed to now be one of the first names on the team sheet,” Coach Gordon said.
When discussing the differences between that of the First and Third Team, Jaiden said that, “the First is a lot more organized, when I was playing for Thirds, turning up at training there would be five people… Firsts have more of a team, we all come together”
Targets For The Season
Jaiden Odle and East London are now halfway through their season, currently sitting in first place in the BUCS Men’s South Eastern Division 1 and going into the second half of the season, the targets he sets for the climax are clear, “Clean up the league.”
He continued, “were still in the cup as well, so get to the final and win that and then get promoted to the Premier Division, to play the best of the best.”
