David Oduro Joins Annecy from Barça Atletic
David Oduro’s time at FC Barcelona is over. The Ghanaian left-back, who arrived two years ago as one of the club’s African bets for the future, is heading to France to continue his career with Annecy in Ligue 2.
The Haute-Savoie side confirmed his signing on Saturday, sealing the departure of a player who was under contract at Barça until 2027.
Oduro, 20, arrived alongside Aziz Issah and Ibrahim Diarra as part of a recruitment push in Africa. His start in Spain was anything but smooth. Bureaucratic problems kept him sidelined for several weeks in his first season, restricting him to just 10 appearances and stalling his adaptation.
Once those issues cleared, his role grew. Last season he featured in 23 matches for Barça Atletic, gradually carving out minutes and responsibility on the left flank. It still wasn’t enough to anchor him into the club’s long-term plans, and now he changes scenery and country in search of a bigger role in professional football.
Left-back reshuffle under Belletti
His exit is part of a broader shake-up at left-back for Juliano Belletti. Neither Oduro nor Jofre Torrents – who has joined Ajax – will be in the Barça Atletic dressing room this season, forcing a reset on that side of the pitch.
The club has already moved. Josué Caicedo has come in and impressed during pre-season, quickly pushing his case to be the new reference in the position. At the same time, Barça must decide what to do with Jordi Pesquer, who has been training with the first team and sits on the edge between squads.
Alex Walton is also in the group, while Patricio Pacifico remains unavailable as he continues his recovery from an ACL injury. Belletti has even experimented by using Landry Farre at left-back, searching for solutions and versatility.
Oduro leaves with a modest tally of games but with the experience of two demanding years in Barcelona’s system. Annecy now becomes his next test. For Barça Atletic, the message is clear: the left side will look very different when the new season kicks off.
