La Liga
Zidane saddened by Odegaard’s departure: I asked him to stay
Zinedine Zidane has revealed that he asked Martin Odegaard to stay at Real Madrid in January and compete for a place in the starting line-up.
However, he decided to leave and join Arsenal on loan in search of guaranteed playing time, as he was hardly given any minutes on the pitch this season.
“Odegaard wanted to leave,” Zidane told Real Madrid before the game against Huesca.
“We have talked about it two or three times. He is a player who wants to play.”
“It was the player’s request to leave. I told him he had to stay, fight, have calm, because this is a long process.
“He is a player I wanted to bring. It has not been the case and ultimately it is everyone’s decision. I hope he is happy,” said Zidane.
Currently, neither Real Madrid nor Arsenal are doing well, as they are developing a not at all good season so far.