Arteta has the chance to get the best out of Martin Odegaard
Martin Odegaard was the best player in Spain for the first half of last season… the Norwegian had a strained relationship with Zinedine Zidane but Mikel Arteta has the chance to get the best out of him
- Martin Odegaard shone when he was on loan at Real Sociedad early last season
- Mikel Arteta can get the best out of the Norwegian if he shows faith in him
- Odegaard’s tricky relationship with Zinedine Zidane has hindered him at Madrid
Martin Odegaard was the best player in Spain while on loan at Real Sociedad for the first half of last season.
He played the full 90 minutes in 19 of Sociedad’s first 21 games. His bursting runs from midfield, defence-splitting passes and high-energy performances put them in the Champions League places ahead of lockdown.
When football ground to a halt, so too did the Norwegian and in the last 10 games of the season, troubled by tendonitis in his right knee, he did not play a full game once.
Mikel Arteta (R) can get the best out of Martin Odegaard (L) if he shows faith in the Norwegian
Odegaard was the best player in Spain for the first half of last season while at Real Sociedad
Sociedad were desperate to keep him but with no money to spend in the transfer market, Madrid recalled him from what was meant to be a two-year loan.
The injury problems have been put behind him but an old obstacle has re-emerged — Zinedine Zidane. Odegaard has always had a slightly strained relationship with the French coach, despite Zidane being one of the reasons he chose Real Madrid ahead of Arsenal, Liverpool and Bayern Munich in 2015 when he left Stromsgodset.
When he moved to Spain it seemed he would be living the dream, training under Zidane, who was B-team coach, and occasionally with the first team.
Odegaard has had a difficult relationship with Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane
When he moved to Spain it seemed he would be living the dream, training under Zidane, who was B-team coach, and occasionally with the first team.
That agreement, stipulated in his contract, was not looked on kindly by Zidane, whose son Enzo was an option in Odegaard’s then favoured No 10 position. Youth team-mates did not think much of Odegaard’s status and things were no more comfortable with him under Real Madrid’s then first-team coach Carlo Ancelotti, who later called his signing a public relations stunt.
Under duress, Ancelotti gave Odegaard his debut at the age of 16 years and 157 days, making him the youngest player to appear for the club. ‘He could be the best in the world, but I don’t care because he was not a player I asked for,’ Ancelotti wrote in his book Quiet Leadership: Winning Hearts, Minds and Matches.
A lot has changed since then. Admirable spells on loan in the Netherlands at Heerenveen and Vitesse, then those first seven months of last season, showed Odegaard’s maturity and quality. But that application and willingness have been rewarded with just three starts all season.
The relationship with Mikel Arteta should be a lot better. Odegaard, now 22, loved his year in San Sebastian, his new coach’s home city. More importantly, Arteta believes in his new recruit, more it seems than Zidane.
The 22-year-old has had promising loans spells and can be a great addition for the Gunners
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