April, 2015
Real Madrid signed Norwegian wonderkid, Martin Ødegaard. Martin came from Strømsgodset over in Norway, where in 23 matches he recorded 5 goals, which were accompanied by his 0 assists total on the season prior to his arrival at the Spanish capital. Even before he flew into Spain, he was already expected to live up to very high standards at just 16 years old.
After Ødegaard was brought in, he made few first team appearances. So Real Madrid’s automatic solution was to send him down to Real Madrid Castilla. Collectively through his 2 seasons spent on Real Madrid’s youth team, Ødegaard had played 24 matches scoring 4 goals. With his numbers so similar to his last season at Strømsgodset, Real Madrid still thought his talents would be utilized best else where.
The youngster has been on loan 3 times since 2015, not having found stable ground since his big move to Madrid. Martin’s first loan was spent at Heerenveen, then his second at Vitesse, and most recently to Real Sociedad. Now over time, throughout each of those seasons spent on loan, Martin’s offensive numbers and contributions had risen immensely. BUT, Real Madrid are having issues that not even Ødegaard’s improved form could fix.
Since the “CR7-Era” ended in Madrid, they just haven’t looked like.. Real Madrid. But Madrid’s offense is not the soul problem of their struggles. If you look at Madrid’s current squad, you’ll find a few injuries. But despite the knocks, Madrid still have the quality to perform at high levels.
Now regardless of how much love I have for the kid, I believe that the speculation around Madrid calling back Martin Ødegaard to “save” them, is just out right nonsense. Maybe Madrid shouldn’t have gotten rid of all of their depth at the center park position over the summer. Maybe they shouldn’t have spent their money on “young potential” but instead on current needed additions. But regardless, I believe a smart center defensive mid signing would be beneficial for Madrid in salvaging their season, and trophy hopes.
Now you might find yourself asking, who should that signing be? They already have Casemiro. Well yes, you’re right, they do already have Casemiro. But they are missing their current Ballon d’Or holder and playmaker, Modrić. Toni Kroos provides great ball movement and some high level defensive efforts at times. But he is slow and sometimes when paired with Casemiro, their combination can seem sluggish. And James does his best, but he is no defender.
I’m going to reach out on a limb here and give my opinion on who Madrid should sign.. Kanté. I believe if Madrid stole N’Golo Kanté from Chelsea, they could really run the games tempo all 90+ minutes.
Adding an engine like Kanté to the midfield could gift some other players like James more freedom up the pitch to help create attacking opportunities. Especially with out as many repercussions coming from getting caught too far up.
And so finally, yes I still believe Martin Ødegaard could potentially make a return to Real Madrid’s first team. But I do not think now is the right time, nor do I think he is the remedy for their distress.
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