Real Madrid Transfers: Why Odegaard should not move back to Arsenal

Real Madrid fans just don’t seem to catch a break these days. On Monday, we got the news from Fabrizio Romano about Raphael Varane’s move to Manchester United being a done deal. Everyone knew it was coming, but no one wanted to read that tweet. Well, just the day after that, there are rumors about another player wanting a move to the Premier League.

Martin Odegaard came back from Arsenal this month as his loan expired and it didn’t have a buy option. Real Madrid made it clear to both Odegaard and Arsenal that the Norwegian is in their plans, and they’re not looking to sell him this season.

That looked to be the case until now. There are many, many reports of Odegaard wanting/being open to a return to Arsenal, and it has suddenly become a possibility.

There are a lot of things in my mind as I’m writing this, because I really don’t think it’s a good idea to let Odegaard go to another club at the moment.

As I’m sure you’ve read in the past, Odegaard is a special talent. He’s one of the best and most mature young players I’ve seen recently, and I think he has the potential to become one of the best in the world. That potential skyrockets at Real Madrid. It goes higher than any other club that may want him. He grew up dreaming of winning the league title with Real Madrid. That’s exactly why they need to keep hold of him.

Currently, Real Madrid’s depth chart in the midfield looks good in terms of quantity, but it actually isn’t if you look at quality. Except for Federico Valverde, who do you think can replace the likes of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, should they get injured/suspended?

Isco hasn’t really been great for a couple of seasons now, and I know it was just a friendly, but he looked really off and out of sync in the game against Rangers.

Dani Ceballos wasn’t able to put together a string of consistent performances at Arsenal, and he ended up getting benched for the last part of his second season at the club. I think he’s a good player that has a ceiling, but he isn’t good enough — at least at the moment — to play for Real Madrid. They need a player like Odegaard to get familiar with the way the team plays, so that when it’s time to replace one of Modric and Kroos, he’s up to the task.

Odegaard had an excellent loan spell at Real Sociedad, and then had a mixed-to-decent loan spell at Arsenal. He was in direct competition with Emile Smith Rowe for the starting spot, and even though he’d probably get more minutes at Arsenal, I just don’t see it as a great decision for Real Madrid. Martin Odegaard is the future of this club’s midfield. He is the one most fans will look to when Luka Modric hangs up his boots. He’s the heir to the throne, and letting him go would be a blasphemous decision.

It’s true that he won’t start every single game at Real Madrid this season. But, he will definitely get his opportunities, and given the way Ancelotti operates with attacking midfielders, it’s likely that we see more of him than what we currently expect.

We might even see him play at right-wing — a position that’s considered a “weak spot” at Real Madrid for now. He’s versatile enough to play at multiple positions, and giving him away wouldn’t make the least bit of sense.

Odegaard’s playing style suits Ancelotti’s system. He likes midfielders that press well and work hard off the ball, and produce magic when they’re on it. He’d play with better teammates at Real Madrid, and Real Madrid’s chances of winning silverware – this season and otherwise – are much higher than Arsenal’s.

I don’t think Real Madrid should even consider any bids to sell or loan Odegaard, and I think that he’s a player that’s good enough to be a starter at this club eventually, and that’s why they need to keep hold of him. You don’t find players like him every day. Keeping him is key to immediate and eventual success for Real Madrid.