Real Madrid loanees impress in Arsenal’s win over Leeds

Real Madrid fans will be watching Arsenal’s remaining matches in 2020-2021 with great interest, as two promising midfielders are on loan in North London.

We have already been tracking Dani Ceballos‘ work with Arsenal, wondering if the Gunners will be convinced to buy him permanently. Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard joined the struggling Premier League side this winter, and we know he has the quality to help Mikel Arteta’s men turn things around and play to their squad’s full potential.

Both players were in the starting lineup for Arsenal on Sunday against Leeds, as Odegaard was there to make his full debut. The Norwegian attacking midfielder impressed fans, earning plaudits for a gorgeous first touch and for his link-up with fellow youngsters Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe.

While Odegaard wasn’t the best player on the pitch for Arsenal by any means, he played a beneficial role in the 4-2 in over Leeds and has their fanbase optimistic about what he can provide down the stretch of the Premier League season. Per WhoScored.com, Odegaard finished the match with two dribbles completed, one key pass, and one interception.

Dani Ceballos, Martin Odegaard are two of Real Madrid’s most-touted loanees

Ceballos was even better than Odegaard. He assisted Hector Bellerin’s goal in wonderful fashion, showing the cleverness that made him arguably the Gunners’ standout player during the summer of the 2019-2020 campaign.

He’s been a disappointment in some matches this season, but he’s also been quite good in others. The inconsistency must be sorted, but this performance against Leeds was another one of the positive displays from the former Real Betis man.

In addition to the assist for Arsenal’s right back, Ceballos had three interceptions, showing the defensive work that made him a roundly-praised midfielder in the final weeks of the 2019-2020 Premier League season.

Hopefully, Odegaard and Ceballos can build on this performance. Neither player was truly great in this victory, but both men played well. They are both clearly talented, improving midfielders who can help Arsenal in the future. Ceballos’ Real Madrid future is uncertain, though Odegaard’s is, hopefully, still intact. We know the 22-year-old can be a world-class player for Los Blancos, so Madridistas will be excited to see how his six-month loan in North London proceeds.

There is work to be done for Odegaard, but his debut was a good step forward from the player. He has some quality young attacking players to work with, too.