Thomas Reis praised Jordi Osei-Tutu for his performance against Sandhausen last weekend but admits there’s competition for starting places.
VfL Bochum boss Thomas Reis gave Jordi Osei-Tutu his first start for the club since November last Sunday, and the Arsenal loanee made good use of it with a goal and an assist.
Osei-Tutu was taking Simon Zoller’s place in the team, due to injury. Zoller is also having a positive season though, scoring six and assisting four in 22 appearances.
Reis gave Arsenal’s academy defender credit for his performance at the weekend but admitted he still has a fight for his place.
“It is perhaps been downplayed because of Sandhausen’s two late goals, but Jordi Osei-Tutu played very well,” Reis said. “He was instrumental in our goals. Simon is now back though, we shall see who makes the starting XI.”
Another part of the reason Osei-Tutu is getting chances again is Chung-Yong Lee’s departure back to the K League 1. The 31-year-old played right-wing and right-back earlier in the season, but he’s out of the squad now, removing one right-sided option.
Hopefully, that means Osei-Tutu will at least rotate with Zoller, if nothing else. If he plays like he did on Sunday though, it’s hard to argue he doesn’t deserve starts.
A look back at Jordi #OseiTutu’s stunning performance on the weekend. @Arsenal, take note! @DailyCannon #meinVfL pic.twitter.com/W45QkBGTRw
— VfL Bochum 1848 (@VfLBochum1848EN) March 5, 2020