Martin Ødegaard, christened Europe’s Golden boy a few years back, is seldom in the news for his footballing exploits. A number of teams around Europe chased his signature a few years back, but the Norwegian wonderkid opted to join Spanish giants Real Madrid for a reported fee of €3m from boyhood club Stromsgodset at the age of 16. It’s still a debate whether he made the right decision, however, the 19-year-old still got enough time to deliver but is understandably seeking regular minutes to flourish further.
Ødegaard failed to break into Los Blancos’ senior squad and spent his time with Castilla, Real’s reserve squad competing in the third tier of Spanish football before joining Dutch outfit SC Heerenveen on loan. There he exhibited glimpses of quality but is still tipped to make a temporary switch to a more competitive league that offers physicality and a competitive edge.
A loan move to the Championship, therefore, is being speculated as several outfits would love to have the prodigy on loan before 31st August’s deadline. Here we have shortlisted three such options who would improve Ødegaard as a player and should make a move to strengthen further in order to attain their season objectives.
Aston Villa
A financial crisis led to vulnerability and uncertainty following a playoff final heartbreak against Fulham, but the Villans have regained stability once again and have resumed the new season in full throttle under Steve Bruce. They have won both of their Championship outings but need to strengthen further in order to avoid last season’s heartbreak.
Custodian Ørjan Nyland and midfielder John McGinn have been two significant transfers, however, they still need to add more resources to cope with the challenge of extensive football and Ødegaard will introduce much-needed versatility in their attack. He, alongside Jack Grealish, can certainly terrorize their counterparts with relentless runs, dribbling traits and footwork, therefore, converting Villa into a prime promotion candidate.
Stoke City
The Potters, one of the favourites to script an immediate Premier League return following last season’s relegation, have been disastrous so far in the second tier. A defeat to Leeds United on the opening weekend followed by a 1-1 draw at home against minnows Brentford has already put pressure on new boss Gary Rowett.
The expected exit of star attacker Xherdan Shaqiri has left a void down the right-hand flank and although Stoke have brought in Tom Ince as his replacement, the Englishman is more effective centrally. The Norwegian teenager is capable of operating on the wing and also as a midfield attacker which will hand the Staffordshire-based outfit a much needed lift.
Nottingham Forest
Arguably the wisest option for the youngster where he will be able to take his game to the next level under the sincere guidance of Aitor Karanka. The Spaniard had his spell as a player with Real Madrid and was also appointed as the club’s assistant manager by Jose Mourinho.
He was handed the managerial role at Middlesbrough whom he guided to the Premier League and is now running an exciting project at Forest who are steadily marching towards a new dawn. He, however, needs more quality in order to implement his diverse tactics and is a manager who will be beneficial for the young lad.