Martin Ødegaard return to the Emirates? Unlikely, but far from Impossible

As he walked off the pitch, Martin Ødegaard glanced around the Emirates Stadium, soaking in a place that was only his home for six months. His farewell felted bittersweet due to injury woes and matches that he shined in the Arsenal shirt. When Ødegaard took to Instagram he said, “My time with the Arsenal family will always hold a special place in my heart…Thank you, gunners family. Always in my heart.”

That seemed like a fitting farewell to a club that helped boost his confidence during his loan to return to a Real Madrid squad lacking creativity. Fast forward a few weeks after his farewell post and now multiple reports indicate that Arsenal is inquiring about Ødegaard once more.

In his last few weeks legally under his loan still with Arsenal, Real Madrid was going through a massive transitional period. Their manager Zinedine Zidane stepped down from his position and Madrid proceeded to hire their former manager from 2013 to 2015, Carlo Ancelotti. While under Ancelotti Ødegaard made his debut for Real Madrid at the age of 16, but it didn’t come without its challenges.

Later revealed in his book ‘Quiet Leadership: Winning Hearts, Minds and Matches’, Ancelotti said, “When Real Madrid decided to sign a kid from Norway, 16-year-old Martin Ødegaard, I thought ‘I don’t care if he comes in or not because he’s not going to play for me now’. He could go on to be the best player in the world after I’m gone, but I’m not interested in the signing because it isn’t of importance to my job. Of course, when he arrived I treated him with the same respect I would give to any young player, but why would I want to be involved in his recruitment? He is being recruited for the future, for other managers after my time. It is still vital to respect the vision of the owners.”

Ancelotti went on to say, “It is a waste of time and energy to fight against something which has already happened. You must manage it. After all, that is why we are called managers. If the president decides that, for a PR exercise, he needs the Norwegian boy to play three games with the first team, I will work out a way of doing that.”

Ancelotti ultimately was relieved of his duties in 2015 by Real Madrid and Zidane was brought on as the new manager. Ødegaard struggled to make a presence under Zidane as well, receiving four loan spells since 2017. In just his 11 appearances in all competitions for Madrid, Ødegaard was unable to record a goal. During his loan spell at Real Sociedad was his most impressive season in his senior career scoring seven goals in all competitions. This is not to say that Ødegaard is supposed to be a powerhouse midfielder who can score from any angle, but it may be a reason why he hasn’t been able to break through on a Madrid team that has elite midfielders like Toni Kroos, Luka Modrić, Casemiro, and more.

Then during the 2021 January Transfer Window, Arsenal was able to take Ødegaard on a short-term loan. Under Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, Ødegaard made his debut just three days after coming on loan to Arsenal in a matchup against Manchester United. Coming on as a sub for Emile Smith Rowe, Ødegaard showed poise and promise against an opponent that finished second in the Premier League. In the following months, Ødegaard continued to show promise and winning player of the month in March.

An injury obtained during the international break caused a halt in his momentum of play for Arsenal. After the injury, he struggled to find his footing once again for Arsenal, especially in crucial games of the season for Arsenal in the Europa League. While the season ended in May, reports came out that Arsenal was so impressed with the attacking midfielder that they were determined to sign him on a permanent transfer.

Since those reports the trail seemed to go cold, many Spanish news outlets reporting that Ødegaard is a pivotal part of Ancelotti’s plans next season and the Norwegian international is determined to fight for a spot on the Real Madrid squad. It wasn’t until a couple of days ago when ESPN FC reported that Real Madrid would be open to selling Ødegaard even though the club believes he has an important future with the club.

It comes across that if Arsenal were to offer the right deal for Ødegaard it would be hard for Madrid to pass up the offer. Arteta has told many that he has been a long admirer of the Norwegian international, but since his loan spell ended, Arteta will not comment on players that do not play for Arsenal (based on past experiences in his press conferences). So now the rumors hover, will Martin Ødegaard have a chance of becoming an Arsenal player?

The deal is very complicated, but when it comes to Arsenal what deal isn’t. This is a deal that could very well happen, but there are several smokescreens currently up in the air to the media and fans honing in on this transfer rumor. There has not been any CLEAR indication that Real Madrid will play Ødegaard regularly, and there are no indications that Ødegaard wants to leave his current club. Playing both sides, however, there are no signs that he wants to sit on the bench constantly and that Ancelotti doesn’t feel the same way as he did about Ødegaard in 2016.

Arsenal has already been linked with several attacking midfielders this transfer window alone, including Olympique Lyonnais’s Houssem Aouar, and Leicester City’s James Maddison. It seems as if Ødegaard is No.1 on Arteta’s list and it’s hard not to blame him. Ødegaard is just 22 years old and now has Premier League experience under his belt. The price tag is what could prove to be difficult, especially if Real Madrid is asking £42.5m.

One positive for Arsenal fans is that the Club knows it needs another attacking midfielder. To force Smith Rowe to burden all the creativity in the attacking third for an entire Premier League season is vastly unrealistic and Ødegaard seemed to pair quite well with Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka. Many fans will be pulling for a James Maddison transfer, but the price may be too steep and that could force Arsenal to look at Ødegaard as a realistic option.

There is still time for this transfer to become a reality, but the clock is ticking. Both Real Madrid and Arsenal would like to know how their squads are looking sooner rather than later. It may take some convincing from the manager himself, but Ødegaard thoroughly enjoyed his time in an Arsenal shirt and with the fans returning to the Emirates, who knows, it may truly be enough to bring him back in and receive the playing time he’s been dying to receive since making his senior debut.