“The Big Steal”. Arsenal supporters have jubilantly described Ødegaard’s €35 million transfer from Real Madrid as a theft, with the La Liga giant being left as the big loser. This was largely thanks to Carlo Ancelotti, who believed he had “eight midfielders” ahead of Ødegaard in the playing time queue. Now Real Madrid are about to make a similar mistake, but this time Ancelotti is clearly not going to repeat the mistake.
Carlo Ancelotti was Real Madrid coach when young Ødegaard was picked up on his private jet and flown to Madrid for signing. The Italian coaching legend snorted at the hype around the Norwegian teenager, later Ancelotti described it as a PR signing from the club president. Ancelotti was also on guard, when a Ødegaard returned to the San Bernabeu after a big game on loan at Real Sociedad. Again, there was no room for Ødegaard. A permanent transfer to Arsenal came in 2021.
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This month, the same underrated Ødegaard was captain of the Arsenal team that sent Real Madrid out of the Champions League – and Ancelotti out of Real after the season.
In recent months, Real Madrid’s latest midfield jewel, Arda Güler, has been heavily linked with Arsenal and other Premier League clubs. The Turkish midfielder has a talent on par with Ødegaard, but the 20-year-old has not been given access to the playing time he needs to develop further. With the strong rumour of an exit for the Turkish player, Ancelotti is now moving out to show the gate is open at Real Madrid for the 20-year-old.
“Arda Güler shows her quality. I think he will be a very good midfielder. Not many players have his qualities. He will be a very important player in the future for Real Madrid,” Ancelotti said, according to transfer journalist Romano.
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Here it is clear that the mistake with Ødegaard should not be repeated.
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