“Odegaard is ready to play for Real Madrid now,” says Vitesse coach Slutski

Martin Odegaard’s former coach Leonid Slutski, who was in charge of Vitesse when the Norwegian sensation was playing in the Eredevisie, talked to EFE Agency and shared his thoughts about whether Odegaard is ready to play for Madrid or not.

“I’m sure that Odegaard is ready to play for Real Madrid now. When I saw him play for Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu I realized that he definitely has the quality to play for Real Madrid,” said Slutski.

The coach revealed that Odegaard is “extremely happy” in Real Sociedad. Odegaard himself has said in the past that he would like to stay there for another season, but the current Coronavirus pandemic could affect his future if Madrid decide not to spend money and upgrade the current squad with the players on loan like Odegaard or Achraf.

“It’s clear that Real Madrid will decide his future with him by the end of the season. Could he stay with Real Sociedad for another year? I don’t know,” said Slutski.

Odegaard completed the best season of his career in Vitesse last year and that allowed him to receive offers from big clubs like Ajax or Liverpool, although Madrid ultimately decided to send him to Real Sociedad.

“It was a big challenge for me to kind of resurrect his career. Martin, his agent and I reach an agreement quickly. He had to take a step forward because Vitesse were a stronger team than Heerenveen,” concluded Slutski.

The decision about Odegaard’s future is not an easy one. He would definitely be an asset for Zinedine Zidane next season but perhaps he needs another year of being an undisputed starter. At the same time, maybe Real Sociedad’s performances next season will not be as good, which could hurt his stock and value as a player.

Ultimately, Real Madrid should probably bring him back and let him compete with Asensio or Rodrygo for the starting spot on the right wing. Even more so now that the club might not have as big of a budget because of the Coronavirus outbreak.