STARS ABROAD: Romanian club reveals how Odada can secure more game time
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 18.12.25. | 21:04
Odada made his long-awaited debut for the Romanian top-flight club on Sunday, 30 November, ending a three-month wait
UTA Arad head coach Adrian Mihalcea has outlined what Harambee Stars midfielder Richard Odada needs to continue doing if he is to maintain regular game time in the Romanian side.
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Odada made his long-awaited debut for the Romanian top-flight club on Sunday, 30 November, ending a three-month wait caused by administrative delays and competition for places.
His first appearance eventually came under unexpected circumstances after key midfielder Marinos Tzionis suffered a serious injury.
Tzionis, the club’s most expensive player at €900,000 (almost Ksh135,837,000) according to Transfermarkt, was forced off after only seven minutes due to severe pain in his left leg.
What was initially thought to be a heavy contusion was later confirmed to be a fibula fracture, ruling him out for approximately two months and opening the door for Odada’s inclusion.
Since receiving the nod, the Kenya international has steadily earned the trust of the technical bench.
He starred in the 2-1 win over Hermannstadt, which earned him another 80 minutes in the 1-0 victory against Petrolul Ploiesti.
Mihalcea again relied on Odada in their latest league match against Farul Constanța, where the encounter ended 1-1, though Odada was, however, substituted in the 65th minute for Sota Mino.
Speaking after the Monday fixture, Mihalcea acknowledged that he was encouraged by Odada’s recent performances but emphasised that he expects more intensity and competitiveness from all his players, including the Kenyan midfielder.
The coach noted that Odada’s influence on second balls and defensive duels had dipped compared to previous matches, prompting the decision to withdraw him.
“Luca was more of a number 6, and we didn’t have continuity on the second ball, on the rebound, that’s why the change was made.
The card didn’t matter; it was a foul. In Odada’s case, the change was also made because he didn’t have the decisive tackles he had before,” Mihalcea told Prima Sport.
Mihalcea admitted that the match featured several individual errors but said the team must push through their limitations, especially given the small size of his squad.
“A match with quite a few individual mistakes. In the end, we are happy with this point taken against a pretty good team.
It keeps us in the middle of the standings. We don’t have a very big squad, we will now charge ourselves with energy for the last match, and then the break will come,” he said.
Odada is expected to remain in contention for a starting role as UTA Arad closes in on the final fixture before the winter break.
