Frank Odhiambo: Djurgardens IF sign Harambee Star from Gor Mahia

Djurgardens IF have confirmed the signing of defender Frank Odhiambo from the Football Kenya Federation Premier League for a five-year contract.

The 19-year-old has been on the rise at the club since from lower-tier side Bongonaya FC and was even part of the national football team Harambee Stars set-up for the concluded 2022 Fifa World Cup qualification campaign

Odhiambo is the second Kenyan to feature for the Swedish outfit after striker Michael Olunga, who turned out for the team in the 2016 season.

'Olunga advised me'

The youngster has revealed he had a chat with the Harambee Stars captain on the move and went on to reveal other offers.

"I heard about Djurgården 2016 when Michael Olunga travelled there from Kenya and started playing there. Then I and many other Kenyans became Djurgarden fans and that was how I got to know the team. So I am very happy and excited to come to Djurgarden. This will be a new challenge and platform for me in my career," Odhiambo said as quoted by the club's official site.

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"Michael gave me a lot of good advice and he told me that it was a fantastic association that has a good philosophy and incredible supporters. Another big reason why I chose Djurgarden was that I hope to be able to follow in Olunga's footsteps so that I can develop into an even better player in that environment. Djurgarden is a good team for young players who want to get the best out of their careers and are good at guiding players in their development.

"I had many different clubs that offered contracts so I sat down and discussed with my agent what was best. There were teams in France, Belgium and Lithuania, among others, but I chose Sweden and Djurgarden.

"I am hungry and want to show what I can do. I like to work hard and look forward to fighting for a place on the team. Cohesion is important to me and I always play for the team's best. I usually have it easy for me socially so I will hopefully get into the team quickly, get to know everyone properly and then contribute out on the field. I also try to be a leader and help my teammates on the field."

What have Djurgarden said?

Club's Sports Director Bosse Andersson has explained why they decided to go for the towering defender.

"We followed Frank in the Kenyan league with Gor Mahia where he achieved great success and became Player of the Month and also when he played internationally in the African Champions League.

"He has had a strong development spiced with national team games in Kenya during the autumn, so we started a discussion, says Bosse who has benefited from his ability to keep in close contact with former DIF players."