On Wednesday evening, what will undoubtedly go down in the series of very special matches in Norwegian football history will be played. Arsenal and Martin Ødegaard will play what is referred to as a series final in the Premier League against Erling Braut Haaland and Manchester City. – Bites his arm The fact that the drammenser is now wreaking havoc for an English top team, and shows week after week that he possesses a sky-high level, probably irritates Real Madrid. At least Stefan Strandberg, a teammate on the national team, thinks so. – He has recently shown that he is one of Europe’s very best footballers. Those of us who have seen him up close and know him have probably never had much doubt about that, says Strandberg. He goes so far as to suggest that the Spanish big club made a mistake by failing to realize the potential of the dramatic man. – They are sitting and biting their arm a bit now, they probably do. And it is deserved, says Strandberg to news. Stefan Strandberg and Martin Ødegaard are colleagues on the Norwegian national team. Photo: NTB This season, Ødegaard is in tenth place at the top of the points table (goals and assists) in the Premier League. He is in ninth place on the top scorer list, no central midfielder scores more goals than the Norwegian with only six games remaining in the season. In addition, he has a whole bunch of so-called “hockey assists” and has delivered a number of games in which he has really left his mark on the game and dictated the pace from his position in the middle in an offensive role. – It is as if time stands still when he has the ball at his feet. For me there is no doubt, he is the number one midfielder in the league, former Liverpool profiler Jamie Redknapp recently told Sky Sports. Real Madrid chose to sell the Norwegian to Arsenal in August 2021 for a transfer fee that should be around 35 million euros, or around NOK 400 million at the current rate. – What a robbery! Former Arsenal player Ray Parlor pays tribute to his old club’s signing of Ødegaard. He uses words like “brilliant” when describing the red jersey’s transfer business in that case. – They tried to get James Maddison for 60-70 million pounds, but couldn’t. Then they went for Ødegaard and got him for 30-35 million pounds. What a robbery! He is never injured, he always wants the ball. That’s why Real Madrid wanted him as a youngster. He didn’t succeed there, but what an incredibly important player he has become for Arsenal, says Parlor to Talksport. Ray Parlor was good for Arsenal himself. Now the feeling is for Martin Ødegaard. Photo: REUTERS Arsenal’s old midfielder is not alone in highlighting the Ødegaard purchase as one of the best in modern football history. – A complete bargain, says Charles Watts to news. Watts is Arsenal writer for Goal.com and has followed the club closely for years. In addition, these days he is writing a book about Mikel Arteta and his job in rebuilding the London club. – Was on sale Watts believes the transfer fee is exceptionally low for a player of Ødegaard’s caliber. – It looked like a bargain at the time, and it looks even more like a bargain now. It is clear that Arsenal have signed some incredible players over the years, players who have become true club legends such as Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira. Ødegaard has a long way to go to reach that kind of status, but he has certainly had a good start, Watts believes. Martin Ødegaard faces his biggest club game of his career so far when City await at the Etihad on Wednesday. Photo: AFP And if he goes on to lead the club to their first Premier League title in 19 years this season, he will move even further up the list of the club’s biggest ever signings, Watts believes. Strandberg agrees that Arsenal made a good deal at the time. – He was on sale there, lucky for Arsenal. But I think it was nice for Martin to have a change of scenery. The role he has at Arsenal now suits him perfectly. It was inner tier, that, says Strandberg. Who will win Wednesday’s big game? Mon. City Arsenal Draw Show result To news, Ødegaard says that he is sure he made the right choice when he signed for Arsenal on a permanent contract. – Nothing bad to say. He states that he needed to establish himself and play matches steadily at a high level. – I had a great time in Madrid and learned a lot, and am very grateful for what I experienced there. I have nothing bad to say about them, but I am fine now and very happy to be where I am today, he says to news. – Would you have been as good today if you had stayed at Real Madrid? – It is impossible to say, you never know. But every time I’ve made a choice, it’s been for the best of my career. I am happy where I am today, says the Arsenal captain to news. Martin Ødegaard will probably have a central role in Wednesday’s big game. Photo: Reuters Was referred to as a PR stunt In Real Madrid, Ødegaard gained the world’s attention when he made his A-team debut against Getafe as a 16-year-old in May 2015. He was replaced by Cristiano Ronaldo and made a good appearance in the 32 minutes he got on the pitch. In his own book, then Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti described the switch as a PR stunt demanded by president Florentino Perez, and the Real Madrid stay ended mostly with matches for the club’s reserve team Castilla. In total, there were only eight games in La Liga for Real Madrid before, after several loan spells elsewhere, he was sold permanently to Arsenal in the autumn of 2021. This is how Strandberg responds to questions from news whether he thinks it is nice for Ødegaard to show Real Madrid what kind of potential that really lived in him. – I don’t think Martin thinks so much about revenge or fighting back, I think he has always thought about becoming the best possible footballer. He is extremely good at focusing on himself and what he needs to do. Perhaps better than anyone else I know, says Strandberg. Ståle Solbakken is satisfied with the development Norway captain Ødegaard has had since his transfer to Arsenal. Photo: NTB Solbakken: – They are happy with Martin’s development Ødegaard himself believes that the Madrid period was successful even though he never broke through for the first team. – I was 16 years old, played for Real Madrid and trained with the best in the world. I learned a lot from that. I also had some tough periods where I didn’t get to play much in the second team. There were ups and downs, but I am grateful for the period I had there. It was a dream for me to be there, he describes. National team manager Ståle Solbakken tells news that he doubts that Real Madrid spends a lot of energy on being annoyed about what “could have been”. – I think they are happy with Martin’s development and that they have been part of it. And then they probably live well with it. They have young, up-and-coming midfielders, two Frenchmen who have done very, very well. And they have some veterans who really keep things going. At that time, it was probably the right thing both for Real Madrid and not least for Martin, that he was sold. Especially for him, says Solbakken to news. – Do you think he would have succeeded in the same way if he had stayed at Real Madrid? – I don’t think he would have been captain at Real Madrid. I don’t think so, replies Solbakken. On Wednesday evening, Ødegaard has a golden opportunity to demonstrate, once again, that he has become the player Real Madrid thought he would become when they bought him from Strømsgodset. Then the eyes of the entire football world will be on the Etihad. The series final between City and Arsenal kicks off on Wednesday evening at 9pm at the Etihad. The match is broadcast on Viaplay or can be followed on news Sport on the radio.
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– They’re probably biting their arm now – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
