Grading Real Madrid’s midfielders out on loan right now
By Ben Sundock
Real Madrid took some big risks over the summer loaning out three very promising midfielders. How have Martin Ødegaard, Takefusa Kubo, and Dani Ceballos faired away from the Spanish capital?
Real Madrid has one of the best and deepest midfields in the world. When the starting three consists of Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric, World Cup winner Toni Kroos, and maybe the best CDM in the world, Casemiro, it is nearly impossible for a young player to break into the mix.
Especially when looking at the “back-up” personnel in the squad. Isco and Fede Valverde have played a crucial part in Zinedine Zidane‘s plans and have shown that they too deserve regular playing time.
That is why these three well-known names were loaned away from Real Madrid for this season.
The midfield is in good hands
Stunning. Real Madrid has three midfielders loaned out right now and all have proven their worth to the club and all three could play a big role in the coming season.
Who has had the best loan stint to date, however? Martin Ødegaard by a mile.
Odegaard has been with Real Madrid basically since Zidane took over. The Norwegian international joined the club in January of 2015 and Zidane took over for the first time a year later. But, Martin has not played a first-team match since the last game of the league campaign the same season he was signed by the club.
After five years of hard work, it’s time for him to become a regular. Odegaard has been a delight to watch with Real Sociedad and has helped the club in northern Spain to their first Copa del Rey final in 32 years.
The 21-year-old has four goals and five assists in La Liga after making 22 appearances and has the second-best average match rating on the team at 7.34. Martin’s ability to push the ball forward and get his teammates involved makes him the exact player Real Madrid needs right now.
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Could he link up with Dani Ceballos upon his return to Madrid? It’s tough to say since the two have voiced their pleasure with the teams they have been loaned to. Ceballos has had an up and down campaign with Arsenal – there was a stretch of two months where he failed to make a single appearance – but overall, it’s been rather encouraging.
Ceballos has struggled to solidify himself as a regular in the Santiago Bernabéu, but he should at least be given the chance to prove himself when he does return this summer. He has no stats that jump out right away, however, after watching him against Portsmouth in the FA Cup on Monday, it’s clear how influential he can be when he is in form.
Takefusa Kubo has been doing his best to get involved with recently promoted Mallorca but has been used more as a super substitute than a starter. He has 12 starts in the league and 11 appearances off the bench.
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He has scored twice and has two assists to boot, yet his passing has been horrendous for some reason. He completes 69 percent of his passes on average and has been caught doing too much frequently this year.
The young Japanese international needs to keep it simple and get his teammates involved.