After struggling for first team football at Djurgården, Kenyan defender Frank Odhiambo has been loaned out to Swedish third tier side IFK Haninge until the end of the season.The lanky centre back joined Djurgården back in January from Gor Mahia but is yet to make an appearance for the senior side having featured for the Under 21 side a number of times.Speaking after his loan move to Haninge, Frank was delighted to complete the loan move that he says will equip him with the necessary experience as he tried to break into the first time next season.🤝 Frank Odhiambo på lån till IFK Haninge– Det här blir en bra lösning för min del för att kunna få mycket speltid. Jag behöver det för att kunna vara redo inför nästa säsong och det känns som rätt steg för mig just nu när det är riktigt tuff konkurrens— Djurgården Fotboll (@DIF_Fotboll) August 11, 2022 “This will be a good solution for me to be able to get a lot of playing time. I need it to be ready for next season and it feels like the right step for me right now when there is really tough competition. Hjalmar and Isak have done very well in central defense and when Marcus Danielson has also arrived, with all the experience he has, it will be even more difficult to get playing time. So this loan feels good to me and I hope to be able to play as many matches as possible with Haninge during the autumn,” Frank is quoted as saying on the club’s portal.I will train with both teams so that I can continue to learn the game and the philosophy in Djurgården and keep the pace high. Since Haninge trains in the evenings, it fits well with the morning training atDjurgarden. I will aim to develop as well as possible to be back for the 2023 season, show off my full capacity and fight for a starting place in the Allsvenskan,” said Frank.Djurgården is currently the best defensive side in the Swedish top tier having soaked in just 11 goals in 17 games which has led to head coach Kim Bergstrand sticking to his working partnership in defense.The club’s center back positions also have competitive numbers with Marcus Danielson, Hjalmar Ekdal, Isak Hien, and Jesper Löfgren all competing for the two available slots.Djurgårdens Director of Sports, Bosse Andersson emphasized on the importance of Frank getting minutes under his belt as he moves to a club in the city of Djurgårdens where he can continue to adapt to life in Sweden.“It’s about thinking long-term and ensuring playing time with the situation we currently have. We have many good options in central defense and from that perspective Frank needs to play a lot of competitive matches and at the same time be able to stay in town and feel a sense of belonging to Djurgården. This will be a good solution for him during the autumn and he will start training with Haninge immediately, sums up Bosse,” said Andersson.Frank will join compatriots Anthony Wambani, Mohamed Katana and Eugene Asike who all ply their trade in the Swedish third tier.
