Odel Offiah reflects on season one at Preston North End after £1m summer move from Brighton and Hove Albion
The defender was signed from Brighton on the back of a strong loan with Blackpool
Preston North End defender Odel Offiah says he will ‘100 per cent’ be a better player come the summer.
The Lilywhites won the race for the defender, who had attracted interest from Charlton Athletic and QPR. Offiah had to bide his time at the start of the campaign but, with four games left to play, has 41 appearances to his name. The 23-year-old has made 30 starts across all competitions, with it his first season in the Championship.
Put up for pre-match press conference duty this Thursday, Offiah reflected on his first season at Deepdale. He credited first team coach Peter Murphy for working closely with him and believes his aerial defending and general awareness is coming on.
Offiah had a strong loan spell in League One last year. While also dual based, the individual quality of players in the Championship has stood out to him. One interesting thing the player did discuss, with BBC Radio Lancashire, was his schooling in Brighton’s academy and to what level it prepared him for league football.
“I would say there's positives and negatives,” said Offiah. “Being at Brighton, they were very heavily based on possession. You need to keep the ball and be good on the ball but in terms of, especially League One and the Championship where it's very duel-based, it probably took me and some other players time to really adapt.
“There's more of a fight than in academy football, where it’s more pretty football. But as I said, I feel like being at Brighton really, really helped my development. Being on the ball all the time and the possession-heavy focus, you see it at the top level.
“You see PSG and all the top teams, they're immaculate on the ball. So, I feel fortunate. I think academy football is probably more suited to the way it's played in top European football and top Premier League football, rather than, I would say, Championship, League One and League Two.”
Offiah, earlier this year, explained how he had joined Preston with the vision of playing at right centre-back. He has had stints there over the course of the season but is yet to truly dislodge experienced head Jordan Storey. The number 42 has been deployed in a variety of positions but remains clear, in his mind, about his best spot.
“I probably feel like I'm most suited to either a right-centre-back in the three, or right-back in the four,” Offiah said. “I think those two probably suit my attributes more. I can probably get on the ball more and show my ability on the ball, to step out, run from deep and drive out. But the best thing about being in this game, especially nowadays, is being adaptable and I'll play anywhere for the manager.”
On his relationship with Heckingbottom, Offiah added: “Yeah, really good. We do a lot of tactical stuff in the room and on the pitch. You go on to the pitch knowing your role, what you need to do, how you are at set pieces and all that stuff.
“So, he puts us in great stead to win football matches. He's been really good to me and I've really enjoyed this year. They (Heckingbottom and Stuart McCall) have a wealth of experience. They're always trying to help you, trying to make me, and everyone here, a better footballer. I've really found that useful.”
Offiah was joined by a familiar face towards the end of February, when Andrew Moran made the permanent move from Brighton. The defender had a quick chat with the Irishman before he signed and expects him to become a key man in the PNE side, moving forward.
“I’ve known him for ages,” said Offiah. “I knew he was a top player, so I'm excited to see him here. I know what he can add and you've probably seen what he can add to the team. The recruitment team talked to me to ask how he is and I said, ‘Yeah, what a player’.”