[Link] Martin Odegaard Season long loan move

The obvious answer to that is that Rooney looked like a 35 year old mechanic with bad hair by the time he was 16.

 

10 year old Messi would of wiped the floor with the SPL

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&s...x28jtvfnGP_UlkifA&sig2=5ITNhIVxCldzRbJuQb_tSQ

 

On loan. No its not. 16 year olds that are that good should be brought in for a few games at a time then get dropped again to let them recover and then brought in for a few games again. That's fine if you own the player but if its a loan deal I don't see a massive advantage in it.

 

The obvious answer to that is not all 16 year olds are the same and it's daft trying to view them as such.

Guys handling International football and first team debuts at Real Madrid fine at 16. I'm sure he would be able to handle Ross County ok as well.

 

Let's be honest, wicky throwing Messi and Ronaldo into the conversation was a bit of a mistake, but he's got more of a point with Odegaard. He's not Messi, and he's not Ronaldo either.

Would he actually be able to force his way into our first team?

 

Again he didn't play week in week out at that age.

 

How do you know, you were to busy eating grass?

 

He was competing with the best players on the planet, if it was a choice between a 16 year old Messi or Stephen Pearson I know who I'm choosing :icon_mrgreen:

 

Odegaard getting loan to us is more about the mentality aspect of things I would imagine. He would come here and have the expectations of a Real Madrid to win everygame and perform every game against teams who sit back and defender. What would he learn mentally at a small Spainish club? How to nick a draw or win the odd game with no real pressure or expectation. I think thats why the Denayer loan has been so successful.

 

But thats not the choice we have right now. We have a fairly young squad who are still developing and bringing in a 16 year old who wouldnt and shouldnt be a first 11 player does nothing for us in the long run. Denayer came in in a position we were badly short in and cemented his place. He was also 3 years older. Odengaard is competing with Johanson, Forrest, Commons, Armstrong, GMS, Henderson all od whome I would rather start and progress.

 

Insightful input

 

Thing is Ronny knows this player, if he believes he can come in and improve us on a first team level then I'd trust his judgement. There's no other reason why we would be looking at him, it'd be for the first team.

 

Ahead of the players I mentioned and any other player we buy? If the kid comes in then I hope he does well and I'm sure it will be fun to watch someone Real are paying £80,000 a week or whatever it is, I just don't think its a good move for developing our own squad as I can't see him being a first team starter and I would rather use our own players to supplement the first team. GMS off, Forrest on, Johanson for Armstrong etc plus anyone we buy.

 

I don't know, I've never watched him play on a regular basis. What I do know is if this happens it'll be as a first team player, Ronny knows his game better than anyone else. If he views bringing him in as better for our first team then you would need to trust that judgement.

 

Whilst you have a very valid point in that we should be looking to develop our own younger players, we also have to balance that out with actual success.

If Deila believes that Odegaard can come in and provide us with something that we don't have (and if we're honest, he likely will if his credentials are to be believed) in the short-term, we have to take it.

Any time we have the chance to sign a player, be it on loan or permanently, that can improve our squad we have to do our best to take advantage.

If our young players can't make the breakthrough or are held back by that then maybe they simply aren't good enough for us?

 

I never said he wouldn't get a game but I don't think he would have played week in week out which defeats the point of a loan when we have enough players in our squad all vying for that position plus any signings we make. Age is not immaterial, a 16 year old is vastly weaker than a 20 year old and strength is important especially when it comes to playing a run of games.

 

A 16 year old Wayne Rooney was stronger than a 27 year old Nakamura. Generalisations like that don't work.

And on that Nakamura point, if you're talented enough, physical strength doesn't matter.

 

Not sure about this. We are building a team and I fear this would just get in the way.

At the moment he is about Johansens level in my opinion and shouldn't be starting ahead of our own players, yet if Ronny takes Odegaard on board, he will feel obliged to play him.

There will also be a massive media focus on this player and a disruption of focus for the management team and the players. At press conferences there will be 50 norwegian reporters only asking about Odegaard. An unnecessary circus.

So what do we stand to gain, really? A sliiiightly better player for a short season VS the risk of upsetting the schedule we are already on, which seems to be working.

I would love to see him do brilliant things in games for us, but I am just not sure if the total package is positive for the club right now.