Swindon Town manager John Sheridan isn’t surprised to see talented defender Akin Odimayo linked with a move to Championship clubs Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday, speaking to the Swindon Advertiser.
Despite struggling near the bottom of League One, there are still a couple of high-flying Robins attracting admiring glances from further up the footballing pyramid.
Scott Twine, their diminutive midfield dynamo with an eye for the spectacular, has been linked with the likes of Burnley and QPR after a superb breakthrough season.
21-year-old Odimayo, meanwhile, is a summer target for Derby, Sheffield Wednesday, Preston North End and Stoke City.
TEAMtalk believes a summer switch is a genuine possibility for the one-time Reading youngster.
And, although this is the first Sheridan has heard of it, the straight-talking Swindon boss isn’t surprised to see one of his most dependable players linked with a move away from the County Ground.
“I’m not aware of any interest – I haven’t seen that anywhere. I can see why teams are interested,” says Sheridan, who still has a word or two of warning for Odimayo.
“He has been in and out of the team here. He’s performed well at times and then he hasn’t performed well.
“He’s a young lad who’s learning the game, and he’s got a lot to learn still. He needs to push himself a lot more to firstly get a regular starting place and make it so a manager has no doubt in his mind he’s going to turn up.
“He needs to be consistently performing well if it’s Championship clubs looking at him and a move does work out. But, first and foremost, he needs to concentrate on what he’s doing at Swindon and try to get a regular starting spot in the team.”
The message could hardly be more clear.
There’s no doubting Odimayo’s talent but, if he wants to make a successful step up to the Championship, he needs to improve.
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