Should Arsenal sign Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid?
By Varun Aithal
Arsenal are one of the busiest teams in the ongoing transfer window in terms of departures.
Though they haven’t signed any prominent players in January, Arsenal have offloaded the likes of Mesut Ozil, Sead Kolasinac and William Saliba on both permanent deals and on loan basis too.
With the club seeking a standard Mesut Ozil replacement, Martin Odegaard can be the player who can potentially fill the big void left by the German international.
According to recent reports published by Marca and rumors floating around on social media, Martin Odegaard has put Premier League clubs on alert after he asked to leave Real Madrid on loan.
"There has been a radical turn with regards to Martin Odegaard’s situation at Real Madrid, with the Norwegian international having sensationally requested to leave the Spanish giants.Having shone with Real Sociedad last season and being recalled early by Los Blancos, his lack of minutes under Zinedine Zidane has been a huge source of frustration for the player, and he isn’t willing to put up with it any longer.(Via: Marca)"
Furthermore, the player will be left out of Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey squad going up against Alcoyano and the former Heerenveen starlet looks he could be granted his wish.
A severe decline in playing minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu is the reason Odegaard wants to leave Los Blancos on a temporary basis.
Why should Arsenal sign Martin Odegaard?
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Until Mikel Arteta gave Emile Smith Rowe a much-required start in the Premier League this season, Arsenal were in ruins.
The club was constantly in the bottom half of the table, fighting with relegation contenders. However, Rowe along with Kieran Tierney successfully inspired the team to collect points home and away.
Despite three goals in five starts for Arsenal, ESR needs time to develop as he is just 20. If Arsenal are dreaming of a successful season and based on their recent upturn in their form, they need players who can perform week in and week out.
With very few players preferring to move to the Emirates, Martin Odegaard can be a midfielder to look at as a potential target.
Madrid signed the talented playmaker in January 2015 from Stromsgodset and the club sent him immediately to their youth side, RM Castilla. The player went on continuous loan spells at Heerenveen, Vitesse and Real Sociedad.
Martin Odegaard caught the attention of footballing giants across Europe when he enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2018/19 with Vitesse. He had a goal contribution of 18 G/A for the Eredivisie outfit during his loan spell.
With Real Sociedad in 2019/20, Martin Odegaard shined in the La Liga with four goals and six assists. The player was brilliant in the middle of the park for Sociedad in terms of his pass completion rate and key passes.
He had 2.14 key passes per game compared to that of ESR’s 0.87. Though Mesut Ozil clocked 3.33 key passes per game for Arsenal, Odegaard has time to peak. In other words, the player is yet to reach his prime.
The Norway international has played just 367 minutes across all competitions for Real Madrid this season. With time ticking away for the player, he wants to move from the Bernabeu and carve out a name for himself in the footballing world.
Also, the 22-year-old has featured in Europe’s elite competition, the UEFA Champions League. After Arsenal failed to bring in Aouar in the summer, Martin Odegaard can be a temporary fix for the side and an upgrade over the current crop of players at Arsenal.
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Arsenal will find it difficult to lure away the player to North London as the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool are ahead of them in the race. However, Arsenal are the only club amongst the PL clubs who can promise him regular first-time minutes.