---
title: "Angelo Ogbonna Q&A With David Amoyal"
canonical: "https://readwestham.com/2015/07/09/italian-football-journalist-david-amoyal-tells-us-about-angelo-ogbonna/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Michael Oliver"
section: "Feature Writers"
published: "2015-07-09T19:56:24Z"
modified: "2015-07-13T20:14:43Z"
---

# Angelo Ogbonna Q&A With David Amoyal

With [Italian international defender Angelo Ogbonna signed from Juventus this week](https://readwestham.com/2015/07/10/west-ham-complete-signing-of-angelo-ogbonna/), we got to speak with Italian football journalist [David Amoyal](https://twitter.com/DavidAmoyal), part of the [Gianluca Di Marzio](https://gianlucadimarzio.com/en/) group, about what exactly West Ham are getting in the 27-year-old.

**When Juventus signed Ogbonna, he was quite highly-rated at Torino. Why hasn’t it worked out for him in Turin?**

*When Antonio Conte was coaching Juventus he pushed hard for the club to sign Ogbonna. Conte was looking for a versatile defender at the time and Ogbonna fit the bill since he could play as both a centre back and left back. In his first season at Juve, Ogbonna was mainly a backup but injuries forced him to play in some big matches where he lost his confidence. Ogbonna came from Torino who used a 4 man defence, to Conte’s 3 5 2- that switch may have contributed to his struggles.*

**At a reported fee of €10m, does this represent good value?**

*I think the transfer fee is good value for both Juventus and West Ham. Juventus gets almost all of their money back on paper (they made a profit if you consider amortisation, something Juve values very much) and for West Ham it’s a good deal too since Premier League clubs benefit very much from the huge TV deal. I’ve seen players with less upside move in the EPL for considerably more.*

**MORE:** [Why Angelo Ogbonna’s arrival from Juventus WILL be a catalyst for future success for West Ham](https://readwestham.com/2015/07/10/ogbonna-addition-signals-intent-from-west-ham/).

**What are Ogbonna’s strengths and weaknesses?**

*Ogbonna is a versatile player who can play as a centre back and left back, he also has experience in both a 4 man and 3 centre back defence. Ogbonna has played in big matches with Juventus in the Champions League as well as with Italy.*

*Ogbonna has struggled with faster attackers, he also has come off as lazy at times and is known for not having great positioning.*

**Were there many other clubs interested in Ogbonna?**

*Ogbonna was linked to Bologna in Italy as well as Everton in England, but West Ham provided the best deal for Juventus and the player.*

**Do you think Ogbonna can cope in the Premier League?**

*I’ve seen many far worse defenders than Ogbonna starting regularly in the Premier League. He is a tall and strong defender who is probably better suited to EPL than Serie A.*