Denis Odoi arrived at Craven Cottage when Fulham signed him from Belgian side Lokeren in 2016.
The 31-year-old primarily operates as a right-back, but he can also play as a centre-back and a left-back.
He has featured regularly for the Championship club since moving to England and the defender signed an extension last May. Odoi’s current deal with Fulham is until 2020 and Scott Parker’s side have an option to further extend it by a year.
Het Nieuwsblad had a lengthy conversation with the Belgian, where he revealed he had an option to join Polish side Legia Warsaw before joining Fulham. Odoi also explained why the move never materialised.
“I almost played there. It was between Fulham and Legia. But in Poland they had to wait for the sale of another player first, so it all took a little longer,” he said.
On how he ended up on Legia Warsaw’s radar, Odoi explained: “I played a good match in the Europa League with Lokeren. They must have remembered that. And Besnik Hasi (played and managed in Belgium) was a coach there, so maybe that’s why.
“Have I ever told you about the trip to Partizan Belgrade? Well, playing for such a swirling crowd, that really seems to me to be the max. That deafening atmosphere, those cool tifos…
“Would I still go [to Legia Warsaw] now? Sure, why not? Beautiful city, great stadium, crazy fans… What more could you want as a player?”
The failed move to Legia Warsaw was one of the last topics discussed with the Belgian newspaper. Out of the questions thrown at the Fulham man, Odoi was asked if he gets stalked by fans in England.
“It’s not so bad, though. I’m never the most popular player at my club. Our captain has had it before. He had a mother at the door with a daughter (laughs),” the defender explained.
“I recently had a guy who asked for a shirt. I didn’t give it the first time. But then I saw him again after an away game against Blackburn. He even made a placard. And even stranger: he suddenly spoke Dutch to me. With a strange and unrecognisable accent, as if he had learned on the internet to specifically ask for that sweater. Imagine…”
Odoi also shared his view on Fulham’s 39-year-old manager, Scott Parker.
“He still has to turn 40 and still plays regularly. When I see him playing football, I often think: ‘He is still better than me (laughs)’. He played with West Ham and Spurs, but also with Fulham, so we played together. He’s real English gentleman…,” Odoi stressed.
“He also walks around with a speaker all the time. Everywhere he goes there should be music to be heard. At meetings, it only goes off when the last player has entered.
“From Whitney Houston to Prince and Madonna to Eminem. In one of the first training sessions, each player was allowed to choose a song. That then became the playlist for the entire training. I think he’s addicted to music. There are worse things to be addicted to, aren’t there?”
