Martin Odegaard's Transfer to Real Madrid Was a PR Stunt, Says Carlo Ancelotti

Former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has revealed he never asked for Norwegian teenager Martin Odegaard to be signed by Los Blancos and condemned the move as only "to do with PR." 

In January 2015—when Ancelotti was still in charge at the Bernabeu—Real beat a variety of top clubs to the €3 million (£2.3 million) signing of Stromsgodset sensation Odegaard, then just 16 years old.

He has subsequently made one La Liga appearance in the Real first team and spent the rest of his time with the club's Castilla side in Segunda Division B. In his new book, Quiet Leadership, Ancelotti said it was club president Florentino Perez's idea to sign the youngster, via Liam Corless in the Mirror:

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When [club president] Florentino [Perez] buys a Norwegian footballer, you simply have to accept it. Furthermore, the president decided that he would play three games with the first team as a public relations exercise. He could be the best player in the world, but I don't care because he was not a player who I asked for. That signing was to do with PR.

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Still only 17, Odegaard is unquestionably talented—he already has nine caps for the Norway national team—and could yet develop into a world-class star.

However, he has had his troubles since his move to Real, with previous reports suggesting he was "increasingly frustrated" by his lack of first-team opportunities, per MailOnline's Pete Jenson.

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It seems likely that he will go out on loan this summer to either the Bundesliga or the Premier League, which are his father's preferences, per AS' J.L. Guerrero.

At a mid-table club in Germany or England he would doubtless have more chances in the senior team than at Real, and more opportunities would likely lead to greater improvement in his game.

He would also likely benefit from a brief move away from the pressure of Real. 

Odegaard's signing was heavily publicised at the time, and it was viewed as a coup that Real had beaten top clubs from across Europe in the race to clinch him.

It is now clear that Ancelotti had little to do with his signing, but, given his youth, Odegaard still has plenty of time to live up to the hype.