15 Oct 2014

'He's like Iniesta': BR desperate to sign €15m 'God of football' who loves Liverpool FC

Liverpool continue to be linked with a move for €15m-rated Norwegian starlet Martin Odegaard, who is also wanted by a whole host of Europe's top clubs.

In July, multiple reports claimed that:

* Brendan Rodgers sent scouts to watch the youngster in action.

* Liverpool then contacted Stromsgodset to negotiate a possible transfer.

According to reports today, Liverpool remain 'keen' to sign Odegaard, and it appears that the Reds may have a big advantage when it comes to transfer negotiations.

In a recent interview, Odegaard confirmed his allegiance to Liverpool, and asked about speculation linking him with a move to Anfield, he told Dagbladet:

“Liverpool is my favourite club. That is not to say that I dream to play for them. I’m thriving at Stromsgodset and feel that I can develop myself right here.”

Odegaard is one of Europe's most coveted young players, and his father confirmed this in September, when he told Verdens Gang:

"I can't name the clubs, but almost regardless of who you name, they have been in contact with us"

Some info about Odegaard:

* Trained with Man United and Bayern Munich last year.
* Current contract expires in 2015.
* 3 goals/3 assists in 18 apps for Stromsgodset.
* Turns 16 in December.
* Real Madrid reportedly made a €15m bid over the summer.

* 2014: Broke 104-year old record to become the youngster player to ever feature for the Norway national team (15 years and 253 days).

* Broke another record on Monday when he became the youngest player to ever feature in a European Championship game.

According to Rosenborg star Morton Gamst Pederson, Odegaard is a special talent. In a recent interview, he raved:

"For his age he [Odegaard] is unbelievable. His knowledge of the game is unbelievable and his technical skills are fantastic. I have never seen a player with so much potential".

Last night, Scandinavian football expert and scout Fabrizio Bertuzzi hailed Odegaard as 'a talented and creative midfielder' with 'impressive maturity', and made another bold claim about the youngster's ability:

"I am not surprised Barcelona are interested. He is like Xavi and Andres Iniesta, and features a mix of both players. Despite being an adolescent he is almost a semi-god of football."

Yeah, don't exaggerate or anything (!)

As is usually the case with most promising young attacking players, Odegaard is often compared to Lionel Messi (and risibly referred to as the 'Norwegian Messi'), but in a recent interview, he dismissed the comparisons:

“It’s very flattering to get so much praise, but one shouldn’t compare himself with players as good as that. However I do look up to a lot of footballers and try to improve by looking at what they do, and Messi is one of them.”

€15m for a 15-year old? Absolute madness, and if LFC ever spend that amount of money on an untested teenager (especially someone 15 or 16) then it will (IMO) be a massive mistake. I personally do't care how good Odegaard is, any money available for transfers should be used on buying players capable of going straight into the team and making an immediate impact.

Author:


42 comments:

  1. Fuck up overpriced ....I don't think he is even better than texerria ... Or rossiter

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  2. I say we throw money at him and his club to get him to join.

    Why? Step-overs and stuff.

    DISCLAIMER: It's not my money.

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  3. Regarding Tadic Lallana comparison. Two of them and Markovic are players with the same potential. At the moment we brought in Lallana to make immidiate impact because he is the oldest and had time to work on his potential, plus huge EPL experience. Tadic and Markovic are those for the future if we are talking about EPL title contender, but if you are in Southampton or Newcastle and your manager will survive 3 losses in a row, than they are what you need.
    In my opinion we did excatly what needed to be done, brought the best one at the moment and one that will develop. Regarding price I think Lallana`s is justified and Tadic will cost manu or Chelsea even more than what we payed for Markovic in a few years, but than he will have to settle wherever he goes and Lazar will be prepared.

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  4. Great idea, we could open an LFC crèche, full of expensive children.


    On a related note, I read in the Guardian this morning that Liverpool are preparing to open talks to bring Origi back from loan in January, rather than next summer. It was in The Metro too, so it must be true. Desperation? Dunno, but we could do with the extra firepower,

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  5. I think it's merely that it could happen that is being reported. I'd be very surprised if it did.

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  6. Yeah, that's what I thought too.

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  7. Nah. You've stolen my idea. We all saw it. You're guilty of internet crimes.

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  8. Wait ...lets see his progress for a few more years. If he' s still good at 18 then we an buy. He's a LFC fan after all.

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  9. I think we have to ask his mum's permission first.

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  10. Let me guess. His dad is his agent and he has been supporting Liverpool since birth. Just paper talk and nothing more.

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  11. How is it paper talk when the player himself publicly states that LFC is his 'favourite team'?

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  12. Robbie Keane... By paper talk, I mean that I highly doubt we are actually interested in this guy.

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  13. Kid, with ideas like that, you've gotta copyright 'em fast. See you in court.

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  14. Why go to court when Jaimie knows everything?

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  15. Quote from Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan one.

    ..because if I hadn’t had the attitude and mentality to want to lead the
    team forward, I don’t think Liverpool would have done as well as they
    did either.

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  16. To a degree I agree that €15m is obscene, but, and this is a big but... I would hate to see everyone else creaming of the best for themselves while LFC get left behind.. I suggest half that, and leave him playing at Stromsgodset for the next couple of years... If he improves further then brilliant, but if he doesn't then atleast we can sell him for a moderate profit... Cgelsea have made a massive amount of cash doing just that, and now is the time LFC caught on to the money to be made and do the same.... £9m for Dele Alli, £20m for Markovic and £10m for Can and Origi can and should be considered as equally huge sums for players with potential, but yet to prove anything of note...
    I definately think we shouldn't keep allowing other clubs to take advantage of our inability to make positive transfer decisions, and let someone else snatch him...

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  17. To be fair to him, he's absolutely correct, and we're now seeing the difficulties posed by the absence of his movement in our forward line. I believe he also said "Liverpool will always be a city in my heart, so now I will watch them". He then went on to say some complimentary things about Rodgers having "great ideas" and Gerrard being a "leader", which I can't be bothered to write in full.

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  18. I read all that but this part is just... Even if he is right(and we will prove him wrong), he shouldn`t be the one to say it, right?

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  19. I think as many people in Scandinavia support LFC as do in the UK... They are huge up there.....So the chances he is a Liverpool fan is high... but lets not forget, Carragher and even Lallana were Everton fans when they were kids... so it's pretty meaningless to comment on it... kids look to secure their own futures before forefilling fantasy's, he'll go where best to develop his own career, and rightly so.

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  20. fulfilling.. sorry on the bad spelling, and I'm still not sure I got it right now.

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  21. There is an /edit/ button next to reply, easier than replying to yourself.

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  22. I won't believe it until I hear that BR has been to see him on one of his (not so) secret scouting trips.

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  23. "Hey!! Hey!! I'm here!! I'm here!!"

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  24. ...maybe he is a football god...maybe they aren't exaggerating...

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  25. I watched The Big Match Revisited on YouTube.It was good looking back at football when it wasn't polluted by money, like we see today.
    British football was far from perfect back then.You had heavy racism in the crowds.Disgusting chants, animal noises and things were thrown.Sometimes the abuse was directed towards their own black players.
    Supporters were packed into stadiums like caged animals.That side of today's game has improved for the better.
    Football now feels like most clubs are in a unfair fight against multi billionaire owned teams.They have a steroid advantage.
    The actions of the mega rich, sets new levels of stupidness in the transfer market.That's a big part of the reason why a kids are being valued a ridiculous prices.
    Big clubs in the 70's and 80's were in a better position to succeed too.But when a club went crazy in the transfer market, most of the time it was one off madness.Now when a top club overpays, everyone else jumps on their mentally challenged bandwagon.
    It wasn't mission impossible for a club to break away from the mid table pack and seriously contend for the title.Now they have no chance!
    This steroid era of football is only going to get worse.

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  26. You listen here, slick: in all my years of slinging comments around these seedy internet comments sections, never have I met such a base, degenerate character as you.

    You have no honour. You have no morals. You steal from a man, without shame, and leave him with bupkes.

    Your actions would make Lucifer himself blush and turn a little redder.

    I like you, kid.

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  27. For the fabulous wigs and gowns.

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  28. Yeah, a non-issue as far as I'm concerned.

    He's probably the 3rd best player in the world. He's not a monster to paint himself as integral to our success.

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  29. He turns water into lucozade sport and possession into goals. He fed the 5,000 fans (meat and potato pies, a bit soggy, but free) and then fed the striker with a pinpoint through ball.

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  30. it may sound a little pompous coming from him but its the absolute truth. i was actually more delighted with his commitment for liverpool on the pitch last season than his goals. tbh i thought he was going to sulk and even refuse to train like tevez. the fact that he showed up firing on all cylinders despite constant abuse from opposition shows his mental fortitude and im okay with the kind of hubris that comes along with such a strong character.

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  31. Yeah, right. Watch and see!

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  32. Some levels above Christian Eriksen at the same age, according to FC Kobenhavn scout. C.E. Denmarks biggest prodigy for many years.

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  33. Yes, and it has affected Coutinho's game also, with no Suarez or Studge to look for. I watched Coutinho in Japan V Brazil a few days ago, and he was excellent, laying on beautiful passes for Neymar to score, plus his shot saved by the Goalie was tapped in by Neymar, when he has the players to move for him, he is excellent.
    Youtube Coutinho V Japan.

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  34. If I could invest into that 15m I'd sell everything I own to get a piece. Short of a career ending injury it's like printing money. This kid will be unaffordable for all bar the top 5 or 6 richest clubs in the world.

    I'm envious that Chelsea have Loftus-Cheek, he's an absolute Rolls Royce of a player. I keep thinking anywhere but Chelsea or Citeh and he'd be a regular already. But everything I've seen him in is against players of his age who he towers over and dominates. Is he that good without his physicality advantage? Odergaard is. He's playing top level football against professional footballers. OK, it's Danish, a few tiers down from PL, but they're not amateurs either. I've watched the same few YouTube clips as everyone else, this kid takes the bullying and just keeps going, running at and trying the next trick to beat his man, Sterling-esque. If from where he is now he were 18 he'd be worth the gamble at current valuation.

    Arsenal agreed a fee that would have see the pay out £12m for Walcott nearly 10yrs ago before he'd played a Pl game. I reckon the same amount for this kid now is a bargain.

    Whether he is the priority now is another question. But, then, with the virtually the entire squad fit all that is lacking is one forward/striker. Really depends if there is 15m euros to spare...

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  35. Not saying he'll be as good, but the last time we apparently baulked at forking over the cash for a teenager, he went on to be one of the best players currently gracing La Liga, guess he was overpriced then too?

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  36. Most talented player I have ever seen,he started training with the senior side when he was 13 !!.and he might only be 15 but he is already a full international.

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  37. He is a Liverpool supporter and his dad is as well. And his dad played in the top division in Norway.

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  38. He is playing in Norway not Denmark.

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  39. If we were stacked like Man City or Chelsea we could make an investment that far away. We need some real proven quality at the moment. We just aren't as deep as the two clubs mentioned above and have a lot of distance to make up......

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  40. 100% correct Verm. We sorely Moss Suarez's non-stop work rate and creativity. He in fact made everyone better than they are right now.....

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  41. Because his contract runs out in 2015, he is not excepted to cost more then £ 4-5 mill.

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