Real Madrid Transfers: 3 unexpected sales that could actually happen in 2021
AM Martin Odegaard
The final entrant on this list may be an even more uncomfortable sale for Real Madrid fans than center back Raphael Varane or fellow youngster Vinicius Junior, and that’s saying something since both of those players are well-liked and very talented.
Martin Odegaard is special. He showed the world that in the 2019-2020 season while with Real Sociedad. If it weren’t for a knee injury, Odegaard most likely would have led Real Sociedad to the Champions League this season. As it stood, he was one of La Liga’s best players, and only Lionel Messi boasted better creative numbers that season.
Now on loan at Arsenal, it would be ideal for Odegaard to return to Real Madrid in 2021-2022 and get the first-team action his talent merits. It was tough for him to crack the starting XI this season, as Casemiro, Toni Kroos, and Luka Modric are all still in their primes. Modric will have to yield for Odegaard soon, right? But that is an assumption. Though Modric is 35, he is a specimen. Age is but a number for him. He is showing no signs of slowing down, and assuming he will slow down next season is an assumption based on his age, rather than any footballing fact or observation.
There’s a chance Odegaard blossoms in Arsenal and loves his football in North London. There’s a chance he doesn’t even want to come back to Real Madrid if Zinedine Zidane is the manager. File that under the “juicy rumor” column, but it’s not inconceivable. And there are many fans who would not blame the young Norwegian if he held that position.
Next. Real Madrid lose a potential suitor for fallen star. dark
I believe Odegaard will be a Madridistas for a long time. The best is yet to come. But this is a list of “unexpected transfers” where there is some plausibility of a move happening. As sad as it is to say, I have to be honest: just like with Achraf Hakimi, there is no guarantee that Zidane and Perez can hold onto Odegaard.