TheCable

Super Eagles striker, Osaze Odemwingie says current Cardiff City boss, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer influenced his decision to leave the club and join Stoke City in January.

Odemwingie, who joined Cardiff in 2013, scored once in 15 league games for the club. However, his move to the Britannia Stadium is yielding dividend, as he has netted five times in 12 league appearances for the Potters.

The 32-year-old has now revealed that he would still have been playing football at Cardiff but for a conversation he had with Solskjaer, the successor to Malky Mackay, the man who brought Odemwingie to the club.

“I have no hard feelings. When I went, everyone seemed happy. The decision for me to go was more from the Cardiff manager when he came to the club. We had a little chat and he said he was not so pleased with the defensive part of my game,” Odemwingie told www.walesonline.co.uk.

“I had been trying my best, although that is not the best side of my game. I’m not a strong player, but I do my best and you get the best out of me in the final third. That’s where I get my goals.

“He also said he needed a target man, and he had wingers he said he felt were stronger than me at the time. I was happy to accept the situation that he was not too pleased. Two goals in four months at Cardiff was not where I wanted to be. I just needed the change, so everyone was happy.”

The striker denied the rumour that his former club tried to block his move to Stoke, saying instead that Cardiff were happy to see him leave.

“They were glad to be getting Kenwyne Jones, so it was easy to talk. It did not take much time. It was not really a surprise to move to Stoke because last summer a few clubs were interested in me, including Stoke,” he said.

“I’m in the last few years of my career now. If I don’t play enough or perform well enough for the team, I will say OK anywhere to a move just for the change. I’ve always been like that. Even if it’s a less strong team, as long as I’m playing, that’s all I want.”