Martin Ødegaard reportedly asks Real Madrid to leave on loan

The squad list for the Copa del Rey Round of 32 clash against Alcoyano was published a few hours ago, and one notable absentee from the squad was Martin Ødegaard, Real Madrid’s ‘only signing’ this season. I wrote an article breaking down his situation at the club, one that looks far from ideal. The fact that he was dropped from the squad even after completing a very good training session, without any signs of physical discomfort, has only added fuel to the ongoing fire.

According to reports from Spanish outlets MARCA and AS, Martin Ødegaard has asked Real Madrid to leave on loan for the rest of the season (the reports were written in Spanish and not English). If these rumours are to be true, it shows the frustration that the Norwegian playmaker has had. There is no denying the fact that he deserved much more minutes even though he got injured a few times.

For someone who saw his loan with Real Sociedad cut short due to his exceptional performances last season, the player certainly expected much better than being the Real Madrid midfielder who has played the least minutes this season, and it’s understandable why he might be requesting for a loan since, at 22, he needs minutes to develop and was in the best moment of his career at the same time last year.

According to the report from AS, Real Sociedad have been monitoring Ødegaard’s situation for a couple of weeks now and would like to have him back for the final stretches of the season as they compete for a European finish in the league while also keeping an eye on the knockout stages of UEFA Europa League.

Leaving Real Madrid on loan could be beneficial for Martin Ødegaard

In my opinion, it would be better for Ødegaard to leave on loan since he doesn’t seem to be in Zidane’s plans at the moment, and I am sure he will rely on the more experienced players during the second half of the season.

However, what also needs to be considered is the lack of depth in Real Madrid’s midfield. Casemiro, Toni Kroos, and Luka Modrić have already accumulated more than 1600 minutes each, and Zidane would want to have someone like Ødegaard at his disposal. That’s the only thing that would stop the player from heading out for a loan for the remainder of the season.

If Ødegaard ends up staying though, Zidane should find a way to give him minutes. He had a phenomenal 2019-20 season, and although his current season hasn’t really followed up on the exploits of the previous season, he can force his way back into the limelight if Zidane decides so.