Erling Haaland mocks Zidane for Martin Odegaard's loan deal, puts trust in Mikel Arteta

Following a thrilling stint with Real Sociedad, youngster Martin Odegaard was brought back to Real Madrid. The Norwegian midfielder has been touted as the ideal replacement for Luka Modric. But he hasn’t had a decent time at the Bernabeu with the current season halfway through and was ultimately loaned out to Arsenal. Zinedine Zidane’s lack of interest in Odegaard has invited sharp reaction from his national teammate Erling Haaland, who is also linked with a move to the Spanish capital.

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Odegaard transfer to Arsenal after lack of game time under Zidane 

Having managed just nine appearances amounting to a total of 367 minutes across all competitions, Odegaard agreed to a move to the Emirates until the end of the season. The player, having joined the Bernabeu outfit at a tender age of 16, has struggled to breakthrough in the starting line up.

Lack of game time has compelled the Norwegian midfielder to look for a new challenge at the Emirates. His loan deal with the Gunners runs out until the end of the season, with no purchase clause included in the contract. Thus, he will return to the Bernabeu after the conclusion of the ongoing season.

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Haaland happy with Odegaard's Arsenal move but slams Zidane 

But his national teammate Erling Haaland has mocked Zidane for his mismanagement of the 22-year-old midfielder. Haaland, as quoted by Diario AS, believes Mikel Arteta could play a pivotal role in getting the best out of Odegaard. He described Arsenal as a great club in England. “The football is a bit different, but I think he can fit well with Arteta in the midfield. He can have fun there.”

Haaland appeared to send out a veiled message to Zidane on his improper management of Odegaard. The Dortmund star claimed all a manager has to do is to start him in the midfield and let him play. "We know how good Odegaard can be. When he gains confidence with the ball, you know incredible things can happen."

Interestingly, the Haaland transfer talks linking him with Real Madrid have gained momentum ever since his move to Dortmund. The club are keeping a close tab on his situation at the Signal Iduna Park and consider him the ideal replacement for striker Karim Benzema.

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Mikel Arteta praises Odegaard 

Speaking to the official club website, Arteta lavished praise on the loanee. “It’s great that we’ve secured Martin to come to us until the end of the season. Martin is, of course, a player that we all know very well and although still young, he has been playing at the top level for a while. Martin will provide us with quality offensive options and we’re all excited to be integrating him into our plans between now and May”, said the Gunners boss.

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Image courtesy: Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid Instagram, Arsenal Twitter