Real Madrid are regretting loaning Martin Odegaard to Arsenal according to a report in Spain which had warned the Spanish club were leaving themselves thin by allowing the Norwegian to move to London.

AS in Spain report that now injuries are starting to bite, Real Madrid are regretting letting Martin Odegaard leave for Arsenal during the January window, something the Spanish press were concerned about at the time (read about that below).

For their league game against Getafe, which they won 2-0, Zinedine Zidane was without 10 first team players. As Real Madrid prepare for their game against Valladolid on 20 February they are without nine (Ramos, Carvajal, Militao, Odriozola, Marcelo, Valverde, Hazard, Rodrygo, and Benzema).

Given that Odegaard has been a Real Madrid player since 2015, this is his fourth loan, and he’d played just 232 La Liga minutes this season before he moved to the Emirates, it’s a bit much for Real Madrid to keep such a talented player around as if he’s just a pile of spare parts, a fact that is no doubt not lost on the Norwegian.

Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, has been hailing Odegaard as a ‘leader’.

“He is a young leader,” Arteta said before Arsenal’s game against Manchester City. “On the pitch he is showing a lot of character and a lot of intelligence. They are characteristics that a leader should have.

“He has been here a very short time, but he has adapted very quickly.

“He is getting more and more respect from the players and the staff and his weight on the team will increase with every week.”

Zinedine Zidane: Martin Odegaard demanded to leave for Arsenal

Zinedine Zidane claims that Martin Odegaard demanded to be allowed to leave Real Madrid rather than fight for a place.

Zinedine Zidane has echoed a story that did the rounds in Spain when Martin Odegaard left to join Arsenal on loan in January. At the time the move was happening parts of the Spanish press claimed some at Real Madrid were not happy with Odegaard and believed he had taken the ‘easy’ option by leaving rather than staying and fighting for a place he was never going to get. (read about that below)

Now, it seems one of those people was Zidane himself.

“He wanted to leave, we have spoken about it two or three times,” Zidane said in quotes reported by Marca. “He is a player who wants to play. Martin wanted to leave, he wanted to get minutes and chances elsewhere. The player demanded it. I told him to stay and fight, but it wasn’t to be.

“In the end it is everyone’s decision. I hope he is happy.”

As you can read below, unless another midfielder at Real Madrid was to get injured, Odegaard had little chance of playing for Zidane. He has his first-choice midfield and seems happy to stick with it.

Odegaard could be eyeing a permanent future away from Madrid as well which might also be annoying Real Madrid.

Martin Odegaard took the number 11 shirt at Arsenal after signing for the club but with many thinking he might get Mesut Ozil’s recently-vacated 10, why didn’t he take that number?

Martin Odegaard seems very happy to be at Arsenal. In fact, his praise about the club has been such that some reports in Spain claim that one or two Real Madrid players feel a bit bad about it all.

The midfielder wants to play now and seems like he has reached his limit with the Spaniards, heading out on what is his fourth loan. He got his first minutes against Manchester United, coming off the bench in the second half to replace Emile Smith Rowe.

Arsenal will consider making the move permanent in the summer, depending on how the loan goes, and it seems as if the player would be open to that.

According to DefensaCentral, the Real Madrid site, Odegaard took the 11 shirt at Arsenal because he wanted a number he could keep should he sign for the club in the summer.

The 10, it seems, will be going to Emile Smith Rowe in the summer and Odegaard wanted a number he could use again if he returns.

26 January 2021

According to a report some at Real Madrid feel Martin Odegaard has taken the ‘easiest option’ by pushing to move to Arsenal.

Arsenal desperately need creative players and Martin Odegaard desperately wants to play.

So far so good.

Real Madrid should be happy, then, that one of their assets is not wasting away on their bench but is out there developing his skills in a league where he can’t damage them in any way.

Not so, it seems.

Some would apparently have preferred to see Martin Odegaard stay and fight to earn a place in the Real Madrid starting lineup.

“In the absence of great opportunities, the young man has thrown in the towel very quickly leaving the club,” the Spanish site writes, their information coming from ABC.

The problem? Because Arsenal need a player like Odegaard, he will walk into the side.

Reading on, and between the lines, it seems that what they are actually annoyed at is that Zinedine Zidane will only have five midfielders to choose from rather than six for the remainder of the season.

“If the agreement is executed,” they continue, “Zidane will have to overcome the second half of the season with five midfielders. The departure of the Norwegian reduces the midfield to Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Isco and Valverde. Taking into account that the Uruguayan is out for the next three weeks, the whites will have a very tight squad.”

They then note that Zidane’s midfield is fixed anyway, with Kroos, Modric and Casemiro, indicating Odegaard wouldn’t get a chance anyway, had he stayed.

Would they rather Odegaard sat around on their bench just in case he was needed? A spare-parts player? It seems like some at Real Madrid would.

Odegaard has played just 367 minutes this season out of a possible 2,430. That’s 15%. He’s been out of the squad entirely for the last two games with transferitis a knock, Before that, Odegaard had played a grand total of five minutes in the previous five league games.

Besides, surely the easiest option would have been to carry on sitting on Real Madrid’s bench while collecting his wages, living in his own house, surrounded by his own friends rather than going to a new country and a new league where they speak a different language.

Like I say, this smacks of Real Madrid throwing a strop more than any genuine concern for the player.