SM
Man City vs. Spurs: 9 hrs 44 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

Zinedine Zidane 'hijacked Tottenham Hotspur move for Martin Odegaard'

:Headline: Zinedine Zidane 'hijacked Tottenham Hotspur move for Martin Odegaard':
Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane reportedly convinced now-Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard to snub interest from Tottenham Hotspur as a teenager.
Sports Mole

Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane reportedly convinced now-Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard to snub interest from Tottenham Hotspur as a teenager.

While on the books with Norwegian outfit Stromsgodset, Odegaard broke into the first team at the tender age of 15, contributing to 12 goals in 23 top-flight games in the 2014 season.

Odegaard's emergence inevitably attracted the attention of a host of revered European clubs, but it was Real Madrid who won the race for his signature in January 2015, paying a mere £2.4m for his services.

The Scandinavian playmaker started out in the Blancos' Castilla team before being promoted to the first-team ranks under Zidane, by which point he had already made his senior debut as a 16-year-old.

Odegaard's switch to the Bernabeu did not work out for either party, as the midfielder only made 11 senior appearances without registering a goal or assist, while he was also loaned out to Heerenveen, Vitesse and Real Sociedad before touching down at the Emirates.

However, Odegaard has since blossomed into one of Europe's leading number 10s, netting more Premier League goals than any other midfielder last term, which marked his first full season as Arsenal captain.

Heading into Sunday's North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, the 24-year-old was recently rewarded with a new long-term Arsenal contract, which is believed to have made him their highest-paid player.

Odegaard could very well have been donning the white shirt of Arsenal's worst enemy, though, as The Mirror claims that Tottenham pulled out all the stops in a bid to sign him as a teenager.

The report claims that former Tottenham sporting director Franco Baldini met Odegaard's father and his Stromsgodset counterparts during a stopover in Norway, and he returned to the UK optimistic of concluding a deal.

However, Real Madrid and France legend Zidane is then believed to have personally called Odegaard to pitch a move to the Bernabeu, and the ex-Blancos boss succeeded in his attempts to win the player over.

Alongside Tottenham, Odegaard's current club Arsenal were also thought to have been tracking his development as a teenager, and the Gunners' previous pursuit worked in their favour during their attempts to sign him on loan in 2021.

Steve Morrow - an ex-Arsenal player and later their head of youth development until 2019 - has been credited with playing a crucial role in Odegaard's move to the Emirates, despite interest from other clubs in 2021.

Since penning his first contract with Arsenal, Odegaard has managed 27 goals and 15 assists in 112 matches for the North London side, who named him their Player of the Year last term.

The Norway captain will lead his side out at the Emirates for Sunday's derby, where head coach Mikel Arteta could equal a 43-year-old club record with a victory. body check tags ::

amp_article__524789 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2023-09-23 18:20:46:
html db last update - 2023-09-23 18:20:46 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html

Click here for more stories about Zinedine Zidane

Click here for more stories about Tottenham Hotspur

Share this article now:
AO
Read Next:
Arsenal 'turn attention to renewing Zinchenko, White deals'
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Zinedine Zidane Martin Odegaard Franco Baldini Steve Morrow Mikel Arteta Football
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Arsenal 'turn attention to renewing Zinchenko, White deals'
Chelsea targeting move for Ipswich hotshot with 'exceptional transfer metrics'
Man United 'planning stunning swap deal' for Inter's prolific striker Martinez
Man United to rival Chelsea for Andre Onana?

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Saturday's Premier League predictions including Man City vs. Tottenham

1

SP

Chelsea targeting move for Ipswich hotshot with 'exceptional transfer metrics'

2

CT

Saturday's Transfer Talk Update: Delap, Szmodics, Lookman

NEW

3

ST

Saturday's League One predictions including Shrewsbury vs. Birmingham

NEW

4

SL

Preview: Nijmegen vs. Utrecht - prediction, team news, lineups

5

PN

Saliba's successor: Arsenal pursuing 21-year-old wanted by 'every top English club'

6

SS

Who is Europe's top league scorer in 2024?

7

WI

Will Gyokeres, Quenda arrive? Amorim discusses Man United transfer strategy

8

WG

Team News: Aston Villa vs. Crystal Palace injury, suspension list, predicted XIs

9

TN

Preview: Ipswich vs. Man Utd - prediction, team news, lineups

10

PI


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .