Arsenal earn potential Martin Odegaard transfer boost at Real Madrid

For the final game of the 2020/21 Premier League season, 10,000 Arsenal fans were able to witness Martin Odegaard in the flesh as Mikel Arteta’s side put Brighton to the sword with a comfortable 2-0 win. Will that be the last supporters see of him in red and white? Maybe not.

This debate will rumble on well into the summer. It’s already been gathering momentum from the early stages of the Norwegian’s stint after joining from Real Madrid in January.

Signing someone on loan is always dangerous territory. Securing the 22-year-old’s signature in the winter was a move made six months too late as another playmaker needed bringing in before the season even began, but once secured it was a real coup on Arsenal’s part.

However, there are concerns over how long said player will need to integrate, what impact it will have on the squad and, in Odegaard’s case, the fear of growing too attached to something only temporary. The midfielder’s form dipped at stages as injury took its toll, but he was no Denis Suarez or Dani Ceballos. He brought something different and adapted effortlessly.

Arsenal earn potential Martin Odegaard transfer boost at Real Madrid after Luka Modric extends stay with La Liga side for one more season

Arteta has not hidden his admiration for Odegaard throughout his time at the club, stating even after the final Premier League outing that they will explore re-signing him.

"“Well we have a very clear and strong opinion on what we would like to do,” Arteta told the official Arsenal website. “He’s not our player. We’ll have discussions in the next few weeks, but first of all we need to respect that he’s a Real Madrid player. “I don’t know [if he will stay].”"

This is the overriding issue for Arsenal, that the ball is firmly in Madrid’s court. They can drive a hard bargain on his fee, anywhere up to around £40m, while they could even just flat out say no and decide to keep their player, one who is hugely talented. His technical level on the ball when in motion can be divine.

As for Odegaard, the reasons for him leaving were down to a lack of playing time. Zinedine Zidane has not fancied him since he joined the club, in the end sanctioning his departure for a third successive campaign.

When he returns to Spain, any decision on his future will rest on whether he can be be given the minutes his talent deserves. This Madrid side came close to a La Liga crown under Zidane, who looks to be on the door out, but where would he fit in?

The regular midfield trio at Madrid consists of Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric, with Fede Valverde picking up minutes, too. This was supposed to be Modric’s final season with the club, but the Croatian has just signed a one-year extension.

This is an opportunity for Arsenal.

Continued…

Arsenal Can Take Advantage of Luka Modric Extension

Modric is a footballing icon. A quite magnificent footballer who when his decade of service in the Spanish capital is up will leave with at least four Champions League titles and two La Liga crowns, among numerous other accolades.

He isn’t getting any younger at 35, but this is someone who racked up the fourth most minutes of any player at the club last season. He will play again, under whichever manager it may be. Modric won’t have penned fresh terms without confirmation of that.

As for the other two, Casemiro and Kroos also fall under the ‘undroppable’ tag. There is nothing to suggest that trio will be broken up apart from occasional rotation.

Where Odegaard fits into that is as a substitute. Who does he dislodge?

As is the case, however, it’s Madrid’s call on his future. If they block any move out that’s their decision, and if they want to out-price Arsenal then they will. Odegaard will have other suitors.

Arsenal have to push for another 12-month loan. It can be the ideal scenario, even if this club needs to be moving away from short-term deals. They can guarantee the minutes Odegaard will have in north London, thus Madrid could be tempted to succumb to the idea of their player being somewhere he feels comfortable and happy, developing as he goes and then returning to take Modric’s place in the team.

There are numerous variables to consider for this to happen: new manager’s wishes, player’s intentions, Madrid’s financial situation, Arsenal’s budget and just how convincing they can be.

If Odegaard has a storming full season with the Gunners his value won’t drop despite having just a year left on his deal, and if he helps push Arteta’s side into the Champions League then his temporary club are in a stronger position to make the move permanent.

Odegaard’s pathway into the Madrid side isn’t laid out in front of him. It will require toppling a superb trio, an unenviable task they he may choose to take on, one that could leave him sitting on the bench once more.

In every regard, Arsenal aren’t in the strongest position. They won’t have the money other clubs possess and even with Modric’s extension they’re relying on Odegaard pushing for a return to a club without European football. Despite all that, however, his place in the Madrid starting lineup next season is under serious threat. It’s a situation to take advantage of.