{"id":2884,"date":"2021-08-19T09:05:38","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T09:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uncensoredarsenal.com\/?p=2884"},"modified":"2021-08-19T09:05:38","modified_gmt":"2021-08-19T09:05:38","slug":"odegaard-fact-versus-fantasy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uncensoredarsenal.com\/index.php\/odegaard-fact-versus-fantasy\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00d8degaard: Fact versus Fantasy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Martin \u00d8degaard<\/p><\/div>\n

Heavily quoted rumors erupted on social media on Tuesday gone that Arsenal would finally sign one of its most sought after summer prospects Martin\u00a0 \u00d8degaard. By the way, up now there is no confirmation by either club that any deal is imminent. As of the time of writing this blog, the usual suspects\u00a0 in mainstream press as well as the ITKs on Twitter have been awfully quiet suggesting that the social media surrogates of Arsenal have been briefed to slow-walk the story or even to kill it. Who knows?<\/p>\n

But I digress. News of a rumored signing fee of \u00a330M had Twitter awash with congratulatory backslapping of the club for getting a good deal as \u00d8degaard was coming in much cheaper than the \u00a3100M Villa snaggled out of Man City for Grealish and the rumored \u00a370 Million Leicester were reportedly asking for Madisson. To be honest, I remain baffled and incredulous with the the notion that \u00a330 million is cheap for a player who had spent nearly five years at Madrid and failed to make the 1st<\/sup> team, despite their ageing midfield of Modric and Kroos. Moreover, after six months on loan he had failed to pull up any trees at Arsenal with 1 Goal and 2 Assists to his name after 14 appearances. I initially posted \u201cZERO\u201d assists on Twitter because that was his stat very late into the season, something I had observed despite all the hullabaloo about how good he was.<\/p>\n

The thing that struck me ever since we became associated with \u00d8degaard is how desperate several Gooners are for him to become a success at our club. Many of these people now argue that the club is in critical need for another Attacking Midfielder while a few months ago they were cheering the management for dispensing with the services of Mesut Ozil, one of the finest contemporary #10s in the world. Mikel Arteta was toasted and cheered when he said Ozil was dropped for \u201cfootballing reasons\u201d and \u00a0many on social media, no doubt inspired by the club, seriously propagandized that a #10 was obsolete in Arteta\u2019s system.<\/p>\n

The irony is that Mesut Ozil, unlike \u00d8degaard, was a legend at Madrid before coming to Arsenal, his assists helping them to win titles in addition to being a 6-time German national player of the year. The question many fail to ask is why did we spend millions of pounds paying Ozil not to play when he could still execute an assist with his eyes closed but willing to whip out another 30 million in transfer fees, not counting wages, on Martin \u00d8degaard. From what I have seen the Norwegian struggles to see the spaces and angles despite his manifest ability to do the basics such as controlling and manipulating the ball. Oh yes, he is good at free-kicks too. Hooray!<\/p>\n

To be honest most of those thoughts were brimming at the edges of my consciousness when I deliberately and provocatively posted the following tweet:<\/p>\n

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So now \u00a330 million for Odegaard is a great deal?
Wenger only paid \u00a345 million for prime Ozil and \u00a318 million for prime Santi Cazorla. Odegaard can't make Madrid's 1st team but \u00a330 million is cheap! Something doesn't add up. #coyg<\/a> #AFC<\/a><\/p>\n

— Shotta (@shotta_gooner) August 18, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n