[ad_1]
Martin Odegaard, right, has played for Real Madrid in La Liga and the Champions League this season
Arsenal’s goal Martin Odegaard would prefer to move to Real Sociedad if he leaves Real Madrid on loan this month, says Spanish soccer expert Guillem Balague.
With Mesut Ozil set to join Fenerbahce, the Gunners have asked about hiring the 22-year-old until the summer.
Odegaard has fallen out of favor at the Bernabéu in recent months.
“He wants to go to Real Sociedad and they want him,” Balague said. “They are waiting for the decision of Real Madrid.”
Odegaard, who was considered a future star when he moved to Spain from Norwegian Stromgodset when he was 16, impressed on loan at the Society last season.
After returning to the Bernabéu in the summer, it looked like he could become a first-team starter with Zinedine Zidane, who coached him in the B team when he first entered the club and is now in charge of the senior team.
But after starting the first two La Liga games of the season, Odegaard has only appeared once since the start of a league game since then. And that was on November 21.
“Arsenal are not the only Premier League club that has asked about him, but they would like to return to Real Sociedad,” Balague said. There the adaptation process will be easier and all you want is to play.
“Since December 1 he has only played five minutes. He played Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on that date, then got injured and was out for three games. But he has barely appeared since then.
“There are some photos of Zidane losing his cool because he did not press in an incident and did not go back in a game they won, so the suggestion is that he is not at the defensive level that Zidane wants.
“It goes back to the idea that Zidane is not doing well with young people and their development. That has disappointed Real Madrid.
“The question is whether Real Madrid’s defeat against third-division Alcoyano on Wednesday changes anything. Before that game they had decided to let Odegaard go. The decision is where he goes.”
‘A little short in certain areas’
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was asked about Odegaard on Thursday, but declined to discuss specific goals.
However, he made it clear that he expects the Gunners to be active before the February 1 transfer deadline.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos was released from his contract this week, while Sead Kolasinac and William Saliba have already left with loan agreements and Ozil’s move to Turkey is scheduled to happen, but is being delayed by quarantine rules.
“We have done the first part more or less and now we are focusing on the second phase,” Arteta said.
“Obviously this market and the context make it difficult, but we are looking for options and we will see what we can do.
“We are looking at various positions because the movement we have made in this window with some players leaving the club has left us a bit short in certain areas.
“So if we can, we will and if we can’t, we will stick with what we have.”
- It can broadcast five fourth-round matches live on the BBC this weekend, including Liverpool’s trip to Manchester United. Find out more here.
Source: bbc.com
[ad_2]
