Martin Odegaard in action for Real Madrid. (Getty Images)
According to a report from Spanish publication El Confidencial, Real Madrid’s Norwegian sensation Martin Odegaard doesn’t feature in new manager Zinedine Zidane’s plan for the upcoming season.
The 20-year-old began his professional career in his native land at Stromsgodset in 2014 and was snapped up by the Los Blancos in 2015. He featured for the reserve side and made only a couple of first-team appearances before being loaned out to Dutch outfit Heerenveen in 2017.
Following a mediocre loan spell at Heerenveen, Odegaard was once again shipped out on loan to Vitesse Arnhem at the start of the season and the Norwegian international has come under the limelight for his impressive performances this term, registering 7 goals and 6 assists in all competitions.
Odegaard has starred down the right-hand side of the pitch for Vitesse, impressing with his blistering pace, sound technique, sharpness, agility and dribbling skills.
Predominantly a left-footed creative ace, the youngster has the versatility to play on either flank and also through the centre in a No.10 role.
Blessed with a good turn of pace and a wonderful eye for picking out key passes in the final third, Odegaard has a wonderful technique which allows him to run with the ball glued to his feet and keep excellent close control in tight areas along the flanks.
The Norwegian is capable of creating his own space in the midfield by outsmarting the opposition with sharp turns, clever changes of direction, intricate touches and nimble footwork, whilst he can also create plenty of opportunities with his flair on the ball and vision.
Furthermore, he often tends to make surging runs into the penalty area and has a penchant for scoring goals with his magical left foot.
Odegaard boasts of a pass accuracy percentage of 79.3 and has averaged 3.3 key passes, 2 crosses, 2 accurate long balls, 2.2 dribbles and 2.3 shots per game in the Eredivisie this term.
Those are really envious stats and the fact that he has 6 man-of-the-match distinctions to his name shows that he is a player who is maturing very fast.
To put things into perspective, Everton should weigh up a move for Odegaard next summer, with reports claiming that Real Madrid might be willing to part ways with the creative ace for a fee of around £17.1 million. Marco Silva needs to add at least another creative midfielder to his ranks in the summer and the Norwegian certainly fits the bill.
Everton got themselves back to winning ways and registered their first victory in the Premier League over a top-six side this season as the Toffees stunned Chelsea 2-0 at home on Sunday.
However, the fans haven’t had much to cheer about this season, with the club struggling for consistency in their first season under Silva despite spending a fortune last summer. Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson have been the standout performers for the Toffees in the final third but the likes of Bernard and Theo Walcott haven’t hit top gear.
Everton’s struggle for creativity in the final third has been apparent and they need to sort that out in the summer to score more goals next season and challenge for a top-six spot.
Signing a replacement for Cenk Tosun remains a priority but a back-up creative midfielder is also needed to increase competition for places in the midfield.
Odegaard, with his quick feet and ability to play anywhere across the attacking third, might turn out to be a handy signing for the Toffees. His exploits in the Eredivisie doesn’t guarantee success in the Premier League but the youngster can become a star in a couple of seasons if he fulfils his massive potential.
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Everton successfully completed a triple raid on Barcelona last summer and they should set their sights on Real Madrid’s out of favour star this time around in a bid to add more cutting-edge and depth to their attacking options.