Jordi Osei-Tutu: who is Bochum's returning Englishman?
Two years after a loan spell with the club, Jordi Osei-Tutu is back in Bochum, this time as a permanent fixture in the Bundesliga side after arriving from Arsenal.
bundesliga.com joins the dots on the latest Englishman to choose Germany as his footballing home…
Jordi Osei-Tutu
Age: 23
Club: Bochum
Position: Full-back/wing-back
Country: England
Key stats
Born in Slough, Osei-Tutu started his footballing career in nearby Reading, where he spent his first eight formative years before moving to English Premier League club Arsenal at the age of 16.
After just a few months in the Arsenal academy, Osei-Tutu signed professional terms and continued his rise through the ranks.
He predominantly plied his trade as a right full-back in the Gunners' U18 side, making 22 appearances and scoring two goals in his debut season in the U18 Premier League. He was soon promoted to Arsenal's U23s and made a further 29 appearances in two campaigns and joined the Arsenal first team on a pre-season tour of Singapore.
He was also part of a mid-season training camp in Dubai in 2019, but shortly after moved to Bochum in Bundesliga 2, where he impressed first in a full-back role, and then even more when remodelled as a winger, scoring five goals and setting up three more.
He returned to London at the end of his season-long loan, but was then sent to Cardiff City in England's second-tier Championship, although he only made eight appearances. Another loan in the Championship, this time at Nottingham Forest, followed in the first half of last season, before he dropped a level to League One and Rotherham United in the second half of the campaign, where he was an almost ever present, operating on both sides of midfield and helping them earn promotion to the Championship.
He returned to Bochum in the summer of 2022, signing a permanent deal at the Bundesliga club.
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Plays a bit like: Benjamin Henrichs
You know the mould: full-back-turned-winger, marauding defender, additional attacking outlet… being a defender these days is about more than just stopping your opponent getting past, it is increasingly about getting past them. There are numerous examples of full-backs who became midfielders, such as Philipp Lahm and Joshua Kimmich, but they always maintained a defensive mindset. The transformation Osei-Tutu has undergone is a different kind – he's become more attack-minded and, as a result, is equally at home on the wing as he is at full-back. RB Leipzig's Benjamin Henrichs followed a similar path, leaving Bayer Leverkusen as a full-back and returning to the Bundesliga as more of a wing-back, and this attacking propensity – which Osei-Tutu actually learned in Bochum – is what make these two so alike.
Did you know?
Arsenal had high hopes for Osei-Tutu as he made solid progress in their youth set-ups and, while he never made his first-team debut, he was always close to the senior pros. Their faith in him became clear when, just before he joined Bochum on loan in 2019, they extended his contract with them until 2023.
What they are saying
"We know Jordi Osei-Tutu very well and those memories of his strength and ability are still very vivid – he's got pace, dynamism and a great technique." – Sebastian Schindzielorz, Bochum general manager
"Jordi Osei-Tutu is a great lad. He has lots of quality and is very dynamic. But he needs a bit more time, I think we have to work with him a bit more on the defensive side of the ball." – Former Bochum coach Thomas Reis
"Everyone said he was a good player and that's quite clear." - Former Cardiff City manager Mick McCarthy
"I'm over the moon to be able to return to the club I fell in love with on loan; ever since leaving, I've always dreamt of returning and I'm delighted to once again put on this blue shirt. I'm ready to work hard and fight for this wonderful club." – Jordi Osei-Tutu
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