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Martin Odegaard trained on Thursday with his teammates at the Real Madrid training ground gym in Valdebebas.
His separation was due in part to his playing no role in the Copa del Rey debacle against Alcoyano, so there was no need for him to be part of the clear investigation that took place after Madrid’s worst Cup result since. 2009.
But also because he hopes to solve his future as soon as possible and be on loan when Madrid face Alavés on Saturday. Arsenal are an attractive option for the 22-year-old. He could have moved to the Premier League in 2015 when he was picking a top European club at 16.
He has been on a loan odyssey since he decided to move to Real Madrid and failed to advance far enough, initially in Zinedine Zidane’s youth team ‘Real Madrid Castilla’.
The last of those loans was from Real Sociead last season and it’s no wonder they want to compete with Arsenal to borrow it again for the remainder of this season.
There is no definitive award for the player of the year in Spain. If there were, Odegaard would have been on track to win last season before the coronavirus pandemic shut down football for two months.
He was not the same player again after the dismissal, but if Arsenal signs him (negotiations started last week and reports in Spain claim he is ‘one step away’) and they manage to reconnect him to the form of the first half of the last season they will have in their hands one of the best young players in Europe.
Of the first 21 Real Sociedad games last season, Odegaard played 90 minutes in 19 of them. His explosive runs from midfield, his passes that split defense and his sustained high-energy performances were the engine that left Real Sociedad in the Champions League places before blocking. When the football stopped, so did the Norwegian. And in the last 10 games of the season he did not play 90 minutes not once.
Lingering tendonitis problems in his right knee hampered him during that shoot, but it looked like he was groomed and ready to go back at the start of this season when Zidane selected him for Real Madrid’s first game of the new campaign.
Having previously agreed that he would remain at Real Sociedad for two seasons, Real Madrid had called him in the summer in response to the economic effects of the pandemic that was preventing the club from signing players. But it turned out to be the wrong move for everyone.
He came out at 69 minutes in that first game and, despite being a starter in the next, came into the break and spent the next seven out of the starting lineup. He has not played a single 90 minutes in the league and, although he trained well before the cup debacle in Alcoyano, he was not on Zidane’s squad.
That decision appears to have been made by him after failing to participate in Real Madrid’s defeat in the Spanish Super Cup semifinals against Athletic Bilbao last weekend.
Just 48 hours before, he had asked Zidane for guarantees that he was at the forefront of his plans. Odegaard has always had a somewhat strained relationship with Zidane.
When he first appeared at Madrid it seemed like he would be living the dream training with the Frenchman and occasionally with the first team when he joined their sessions. But the deal, despite what was stipulated in his contract, was frowned upon by Zidane, who also had his son Enzo as an option in Odegaard’s then-favored 10th position on Team B.
A lot has changed since then. Odegaard has returned as a much more complete player. He could play as a side midfielder in a 4-3-3 or in the line of three behind the forward in a 4-2-3-1, although more comfortably in the center of the three.
His versatility has made Zidane’s inability to find a place for him on the team even more frustrating. The French manager is not overloaded with midfield options beyond his tried and true trinity of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
Can Arsenal catch him despite Real Sociedad’s interest? The Basque club brought in David Silva in the summer to replace Odegaard and although he is currently injured, they are well covered in those midfield positions and might feel that if they have to make a financial sacrifice to bring him back, they cannot. Would he thrive at Arsenal? The only doubt is the injury. Tendonitis is a persistent problem that requires rest, but it seems that the player believes that he has overcome it and wants to play.
If he’s fit, there’s no question about his quality, just ask the Real Sociedad fans who saw him play for their team in the top four last season.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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