Jores Okore – the inside track

A lot has been made of Villa’s reported £3 million bid for centre-back Jores Okore, with many fans wondering who he is and what he could bring to Paul Lambert’s developing team.

Well, as anyone who bets on football in Denmark will tell you, Okore is probably the finest defensive talent currently playing in the Superliga. I have watched and reported on him countless times over the past couple of seasons and he stands out at the back for FC Nordsjælland, who won the league title in 2011/12 mainly due to their excellent defensive record.

Nordsjælland play a passing game that spreads from the back and Okore is coach Kasper Hjulmand’s key distributor. When the club played in the Champions League last season they tried to pass it but of course came unstuck against Europe’s elite. That didn’t stop them playing their game, however, and Okore himself impressed with the ball at his feet.

As a defender, the 20-year-old is strong and relatively fast, relying more on reaction than anticipation at times, but he will mature with age and is destined to play at the heart of Denmark’s national side for years to come.

It’s no surprise Nordsjælland reportedly rejected an initial £3 million approach from Villa. If Okore were English and brought up through the youth ranks here he’d be worth £12 million at least. Just look at Gary Cahill, Joleon Lescott and Chris Smalling – all English players sold for staggering fees; Okore will match that standard one day and FCN don’t need to sell.

It would be great for Premier League betting fans if Villa did bring him in as Lambert needs a Richard Dunne ‘understudy’ fast and Okore boasts the physical presence the club needs at set-pieces. Villa struggled to challenge in the air last season but the Dane’s commanding style should produce a much tighter defensive unit next term.

Article by Joe Short, staff writer for FC Copenhagen and Superliga match reporter