Football Season Guide

Odd start the season once again aiming to keep their pretty solid level of performances and try to maintain a position in the top half of the standings. They usually lose a fair bit of their core players every season but for now the main departure has been of Vebjorn Hoff, a very tidy and consistent midfielder who provided balance and structure into the side. Yet, his spot is likely to be taken by Filip Jorgensen, who showed real promise last season when given chances. Elbasan Rashani is another important player that will be hard to replace, having provided consistent service from the wing over the last few years. The front three and the defence should remain mostly unchanged and signing a good player like John Kitolano onto a permanent deal is a very good bit of business for the team. The other new signing who is likely to play a big role this season is Magnus Lekven, an assured and capable midfield who could be on the wrong side of 30 years but is still pretty good at this level. Mushaga Bakenga had a surprisingly effective season up front last year and it remains to be seen if he keeps it up but, if he does, Odd can be quite solid in mid-table. Yet it is pretty clear that this team has a ceiling with the current players and it is hard to imagine them being part of the battle for the European places.