- Real Sociedad gives Martin Odegaard the chance to prove what he cannot at Real Madrid
 |
| Martin Odegaard |
four years ago, Martin Odegaard made the decision to leave Norway for Spain.
Having impressed the global footballing community at the age of just 16,
helping Stromgodset impress in his native top-flight after making his debut a year earlier, the creative midfielder had drawn the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs. Liverpool invited the teenager to take a tour of their facilities, while Bayern Munich, Arsenal ,Ajax, Manchester United and Manchester City did the same, before the decision was taken to choose the all white of Real Madrid.
A season with the club's B team provided the first platform for Los Blancos to understand what kind of talent they had in their grasp and to understand where would be best to help Odegaard take his next steps towards development into a top-level professional. Loan spells at Heerenveen and Vitesse saw him progress each campaign, climaxing in a 2018-19 Eredivisie season which saw the Norway international involved in 19 goals (8 goals, 11 assists).
Having taken the Dutch srepping stone, a division which can nurture technically gifred players in a competitive environment, the time was right to return to his true proving ground Spain. only there can the former protégé showcase exactly what he would be capable of in a Real Madrid shirt in a year's time.
Is San Sebastian the best place for his development?
Real Sociedad were the club who chose to put faith in the long-term ‘wonderkid’. Now 20, Odegaard has a strong amount of experience under his belt for his age and will be playing this season under Imanol Alguacil, the man promoted from his new club's B team to take the reins after the sacking of Asier Garitano in December 2018. La Liga's opening weekend, the Txuri-urdin used eight under-23 players in their 1-1 draw against Valencia.
Odegaard (20), Robin Le Normand (22), Ander Barrenetxea (17), Mikel Merino (23), Aihen Munoz (22), Mikel Oyarzabal (22), Igor Zubeldia (22) and Alexander Isak (19) got on the field against Los Che, as Alguacil leads a forward-thinking and youth-focused project towards the next level. Much is made of Athletic Bilbao’s Basque-only selection policy, but their close rivals also have an impressive conveyor belt of talented youngsters who get opportunities to prove their worth in Primera. Odegaard is just another one of his peers, possessing talent but needing the track record to justify his coach (at his parent club or otherwise) giving him a further chance to develop at Spain’s top table.
Former Barcelona youngster Roberto Navarro (17) is set to leave Monaco after moving to the French club just last year, but despite his Basque heritage it is likely that the talented Spain U17 international will snub Athletic - a club with a proven pathway to La Liga football. There can’t be a more glowing reference for a youth network in the country at present than turning down an academy such as Athletic’s Lezama in favor of a switch to San Sebastian.
Where will Odegaard be used?
Since the departure of Sergio Canales to Real Betis, Real Sociedad have lacked a creative difference-maker in their midfield three. The likes of Asier Illarramendi and Igor Zubeldia are great in holding roles, while the likes of Mikel Merino and David Zurutuza are quite versatile and forward thinking, but still do not have that silky verve that Canales could offer.
Adnan Januzaj was relied upon as one of the club’s more hard-to-track, drifting creative presences from the right-hand side of midfield, while Oyarzabal offered a more direct goalscoring threat from the left. The door was very much open for a midfielder to step into Alguacil’s squad and steer the tempo and angles of the game, spraying the ball wide or between the lines, looking to offer a vertical way to hit lone striker Willian Jose.
Odegaard can dribble at pace or pick a pass, while playing in the center of a midfield three demands a level of defensive awareness too. Able to play neatly and quickly in tight spaces, as well as having the agility, center of gravity and close control to wriggle away from pressure, he has the skill set required to prove useful against teams that sit deep and ask to be picked apart - while his first La Liga goal against Real Mallorca last weekend highlighted that he also has the pace and foresight to get into the penalty area and finish with aplomb.
From Real Madrid’s perspective, they are getting a chance to see the 20-year-old facing relevant opposition, in a roughly similar role that could be up for grabs in the not-so-distant future at the Santiago Bernabeu. Zinedine Zidane does currently lack a more adventurous presence in his midfield three, leaving Karim Benzema plenty to do in terms of dropping in and linking up with the rest of his front three. Everything that Odegaard has done thus far in a Real Sociedad shirt suggests that he would fit that mold well.
Will Odegaard play for Real Madrid in the future?
While Los Blancos may have ushered Zidane back to try and get back to winning ways, which can be seen as something of a step back, opportunities should present themselves in the Spanish capital before long. James Rodriguez and Isco cannot be considered as key first-team contributors as it stands, given their stop-start form and rarely getting a consistent run of games owing to technical decisions, distrust from past coaches or injuries, while Luka Modric is rapidly approaching his 34th birthday.
Although Zidane has been hesitant to put too much trust in young players in important roles unless absolutely necessary, a fact that Dani Ceballos can attest to, there is a realistic hole that could appear in Real Madrid’s midfield. Should Ceballos continue to impress during the 2019-20 season at Arsenal, or should the club’s long-term interest in Paul Pogba bear fruit in the summer of 2020, Odegaard will inevitably fall down the pecking order.
The Norwegian has the technical ability and intelligence to thrive in La Liga and is making huge efforts to perfect his Spanish, another important factor to allow him to settle long-term in the country. There is a more than a realistic chance that he will be spat out by Real Madrid once he reaches his five-year milestone at the club, meaning that now is the time to put himself on the market. He is more than talented enough to generate a lot of interest. This will be the season that Odegaard comes of age and proves that he is ready to fly the roost with ambition.
