Having joined Walsall in the summer of 2020 under the former administration of Darrell Clarke, Osadebe was brought in as direct competition for Rory Holden. The 24 year old has recently made his 50th and subsequently 51st, appearance for the Saddlers. His time at Walsall has been a bit of a rollercoaster.
He began the 20/21 season as back up for Holden picking up minutes towards the end of most matches, however he failed to make a substantial impact from the bench. After Christmas, Rory Holden picked an injury which left him on the side lines for the majority of the second half of last season, Osadebe was given the chance to step up and make the role his own. Osadebe put in some commendable performances towards the back end of the season finishing with three goals and three assists in the league helping Walsall to stave off relegation.
It seemed Holden would have some real competition for his position this season, Holden’s injury saw him not feature at all in pre-season and a recurrence of the injury has so far kept him on the side lines. Osadebe impressed in pre-season, and looked a great fit for Matt Taylor’s system, however since the start of the season he hasn’t been able to re-capture that form.
Playing in seven of the eight league games, he has only one goal contribution, an assist for Tyrece Shade against Newport. WhoScored have given him a rating of just 6.45, 13th best in the Walsall squad. In addition to this Osadebe has lost his starting position to Jack Earing who in that time has managed two goal contributions in his last three games and a Man of the Match for his efforts away at Bradford.
The same problems are affecting Osadebe time and time again, with ball retention a particularly big issue. The attacking midfielder has struggled to hold on to the ball and often under pressure. He has misplaced passes which has led to the Saddlers conceding. A prime example was Scunthorpe earlier this season where a stray pass in the 90th minute was the catalyst for their equaliser.
During his time at Walsall, Osadebe has shown versatility playing on either wing, in a No10 role and as a central midfielder. He has failed to lock down a starting position with him not being able to consistently perform in any one position. Despite his versatility, Osadebe is struggling to get consistent game time as Taylor has more consistent options in all his positions.
Fans are divided on Emmanuel Osadebe. He’s a player with clear ability although he has frustrated the fans with some lack lustre displays. Seven goal contributions in 51 games for Walsall, which works out to be one contribution every seven games, is not ideal. For a player who should be coming into his prime, he needs to be contributing more often, and preventing the side from conceding with better all round play.
This is a big season for Emmanuel with his contract set to expire in the summer. He has plenty of time now to kick on and show Matt Taylor he can take Walsall forward and be the player we all know he can be.
