Jonas Olsson: West Bromwich Albion style suits me

Sep 9 2008 By Chris Lepkowski

JONAS Olsson claims Tony Mowbray’s footballing philosophies were a decisive factor in his decision to join Albion.

The Swedish centre-half signed just before last week’s transfer deadline, completing an £800,000 move from Dutch club NEC Nijmegen.

Olsson describes himself as a ball-playing centre-half, indicating he is more likely to pass his way out of trouble than opt for a route-one clearance.

It’s those kind of qualities which convinced Mowbray to take a chance on the giant 25-year-old.

And Olsson believes his game is suited to Mowbray’s style of football.

“The manager here has a very simple philosophy,” Olsson told the Birmingham Mail.

“It’s a little bit like the Dutch way of playing – he likes to play the ball on the ground, wants us to play ourselves out of situations.

“That’s the Dutch way of thinking. The players who play in the Dutch league are technically very good.

“There is a lot of focus on players as individuals so you are capable of developing your own skills when playing in that league.

“I like to have the ball, I like to be part of the build-up from behind.

“Considering my height (6ft 4ins) and my size I think I’m fairly skilful for a defender.”

Olsson, who played in the same Sweden under-21 side as Blues’ Seb Larsson, is optimistic his move to the top flight will help him break into the national team.

He already feels at home at Albion. “I’ve been here for just under two weeks and I’ve had a good impression so far,” he added.

“The lads, the training staff and everyone is nice. I am satisfied.

“I knew about the interest a few weeks ago. I was relaxed about that and then, one day before the window closed, everything happened quickly.

“I was here on Friday that week to do the medical and then signed the next day.

“To get into the full Sweden squad was one of the reasons why I came to the Premier League.

“When you play in the Premiership, with all respect to the Dutch League, you have more chance of being selected for the national team.”