Martin Odegaard ‘lacked patience’ at Real Madrid and may regret making a loan move to Arsenal, Bernabeu hero Jorge Valdano told Onda Cero.
After falling out of favour at the reigning La Liga champions, one of the most gifted young midfielders on the planet has no desire to spend the next five months sitting on the sidelines, waiting for a chance that may never arrive.
Odegaard has played just five minutes of football since the start of December and has therefore jumped at the opportunity to join Arsenal on a ‘dry loan’ until the end of the season.
Goal reports that Mikel Arteta’s side will take over the Norway international’s £38,000-a-week wages, while offering him the sort of starring role that looked out of his reach in Madrid.
But while Real have opted against including an ‘option-to-buy clause’ in Arsenal’s deal – a sign that Odegaard still has a future in the Spanish capital – Valdano wonders whether the 22-year-old may live to regret opening the door for the likes of Isco or Fede Valverde to move up the pecking order.
“The quality that Odegaard possess is necessary for this Real Madrid team,” said Valdano, a former player and coach at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“I don’t think that Odegaard played badly. Perhaps he was a bit conservative, maybe he lacked some more daring actions, but he also lacked patience to continue at Real Madrid. In the end he competes with two stars like (Luka) Modric and (Toni) Kroos.”
“I am more concerned about his mentality. It is not worthy of a Real Madrid player to leave your place, to not have that patience. It’s not just any player that is ahead of him.
“I am surprised that he would leave the club and leave his spot open for others.”
Odegaard was arguably La Liga’s most influential attacker during a stunning loan spell at Real Sociedad last season and, if he can replicate those displays at Arsenal, a late top-six surge may be on the cards.
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