Should Arsenal fans be offended by Klopp tapping up Odegaard?

Are You Offended by Klopp? By Dan Smith

Some Gooners felt disrespected by Jurgen Klopp on Saturday for making a post-match dash to have a conversation with Martin Odegaard, a player he’s been linked with.

Whatever the Liverpool manager said put a smile on the midfielder’s face who in the past has called the Champions his ‘dream club’ growing up.

I wrote this before, it’s never nice seeing those in an Arsenal shirt laughing and high fiving the opposition after a defeat. Something tells me a Vieira or Tony Adams wouldn’t have reacted like that after being humiliated at home? They would be embarrassed to be 10th in the table in April!

While I accept that was a different era, let me ask if we had won 3-0 at Anfield what would Henderson’s demeanor have been?

The sense that a defeat doesn’t hurt like it should come down to the environment that Mikel Arteta’s creating and needs to improve. If a player who’s only been at the Emirates for a couple of months doesn’t see a home drubbing as serious, that’s because he’s been allowed too. That concerns me more than what was or wasn’t said by the Liverpool boss.

Sir Alex Ferguson once told a story that he bought Ronaldo based on how good he was in a friendly against Sporting Lisbon. Trust me, Klopp didn’t see anything this weekend where he felt obliged to tap any of the opposition up. Nor will he feel the need to have to try and sell his club with some sort of speech.

Odegaard only needs to look at the table, the respective squads, and our ambition in the market to know Anfield would be the most likely place to win silverware consistently.

Is it really tapping up anyway if it’s not your player?

Contractually he’s paid to do his best for us till the end of the season and after that owes us no sense of loyalty.

There’s such a sense of entitlement that some football fans are forgetting the point of a loan. Spurs have been apparently hurt by Bale’s comments during the international break. They seem upset by his admission that the point of the loan was a chance to stay fit for the Euros, Real Madrid getting help paying his wages and possibly an asset putting himself in the shop window.

Real will have the same policy with Odegaard. He either proves he deserves to play at the Bernabeau, or he increases his value. Hence why; if Zidane stays in charge, Real will reportedly ask for 50 million for Odegaard. He was worth less than half of that this time last year.

If the likes of Arsenal or Spurs feel used by the system, then stop relying on loaning big clubs cast offs!
A big club shouldn’t be doing that. In our case we are borrowing two squad players from Madrid.

Because our recruitment team had the criteria of finding a bargain, they were adamant in January they didn’t want any obligation to buy.

Real were reportedly happy to put in an option of a guaranteed 20m-25m purchase. We refused, and now they ask for double, a figure we should turn down. He’s had a couple of good games but not enough to justify anything over 30 million.

Yet again some of my peers are getting carried away. Our best hope is another loan but that’s when others will start counter bidding.

That’s just my opinion on the topic. I’m not offended by Klopp engaging with our players as he does that all the time. I’m more concerned the response of those in the red and white. Is it me or did they seem quite chilled out for the worst Arsenal team in 25 years?

Be kind in the Comments

Dan

Tags Klopp. Odegaard

24 Comments

  1. If Odegaard has any sense he will steer well clear of a permanent move to Arsenal he will not be with a club challenging for anything and will just end up becoming frustrated and leave anyway!

  2. On this site, I read loosing to Liverpool and wining again salvia Prague is the ice on the cake… now typical Arsenal complaining..
    OT. Barcelona are just 4 points behind athletico Madrid with a game in hand against Real valladolid which is winnable considering it will be played at camp nou.

  3. “I wrote this before, it’s never nice seeing those in an Arsenal shirt laughing and high fiving the opposition after a defeat. Something tells me a Vieira or Tony Adams wouldn’t have reacted like that after being humiliated at home? They would be embarrassed to be 10th in the table in April!”

    You are talking of bygone era Dan, those ancient times. Footballers nowadays treat football as a job same as we treat our jobs. Most of us even hate our jobs.

    If Klopp is tapping up Odengard, I applaud him for that and I think our manager should take notes. If they are doing it and win things because of it why shouldn’t we?

  4. The way he’s been bigged up I was expecting him to grab the game by the scruff of the neck ,what I saw was another over hyped player joining the never ending line of players on our books that flatter to deceive ,apart from about 5 players this as been a disgrace from our team and manager this season .
    For all I care odegarrd can stay in Madrid and can keep his buddy Ceballos with him .

      1. Dan kit and Dan, Martin Odegaard was a major contributor to dragging Arsenal back into the game from 3-0 down against West Ham. Expecting him to do it again on his own against Liverpool is a bit rich. What about the other 10 highly paid mercenaries, contracted Arsenal players earning more than him?

        1. Ah yes the mighty West Ham ..we should pay 200m for him as soon as the transfer window opens .

          1. And the Article was about odegaard not the other 10 mercenaries you talk about .hence why I spoke about him only .

        2. Not saying that
          Just judging him on the entire loan spell , I wouldn’t want us to pay over the odds

  5. Odegard a pipe dream at this point. Dont see why we couldn’t tempt lyon with Pepe or Lacazette plus some cash for Aouar. Similar deal could be struck with Palace for Zaha with Niles and Nelson going the other way.

  6. I personally don’t feel aggrieved with either action, Klopp talking to him or players smiling and conversing with the opposition. It did happen in the good old days whatever anyone says. I remember seeing Leeds Norman Hunter and our Peter Storey kicking lumps out of each other during the game and walking off as friendly enemies at the final whistle, I believe it’s called sportsmanship.

    1. A very misleading headline by the way as no one knows what Klopp was saying to Ødegaard. He might have been asking him for Haaland’s phone number.

      1. Odegaard cost RM 3mill 5 years ago.
        In all that time Odo has played just 7 La liga games for the Bernabau outfit. 7 La liga games in 5 years.
        Offer RM 5 mill and Riess Nelson.
        Take it all leave it.
        All good at Arsenal

    2. Declan, I can only remember Peter Storey smiling after hacking down an opposing player!! Our little group of supporters nicknamed him ‘the assassin’.

  7. Since when is their honour amongst football clubs? Every club has a right to put in an offer for Odegaard. If Arsenal play the way they do playing Hara-Kiri football, why should other clubs feel sorry for them. Arteta was poorest choice of manager possible. Offer Brendan Rogers top money…..and let him restructure the team and the club. Arteta talks a good game but is immune from the responsibility for results. Odegaard is not the answer to our problems….Arteta is one of the major causes of our problems and the answer is farewell to Arteta. His angst towards most of Emery’s signings speaks of a man who holds grudges….. the worst thing possible in all human life. His decision making is as poor as possible and he is turning Arsenal from a great team into a West Bromwich Albion. His blind supporters are harming our great club……..be brave, admit he is damaging our club.

  8. Odegaard is a Real Madrid player, he can talk to whoever he wants, it won’t bother Madrid as they just want as good a price as they can get.

    If we sign him then great, if we don’t then move on, I’m keen to see Miguel Azeez step up next season.

    1. And Arsenal apparently refused a buy deal at the end of the loan, another lost opportunity!

  9. I did notice their chat at the end of the match Dan but paid it no mind as I do not consider him an Arsenal player. I made the point when we took him on loan that it was a win win deal for RM. If he progressed his price would shoot up, whereas if he didn’t they have saved paying him wages for six months plus a fee for his services. Very few, if any, big clubs take young young players on loan without, at least, an option to buy at the end of the loan period. And anyway what sort of message does it send to our Academy youngsters?

    I can’t form an opinion on Odergaard’s ability, I haven’t seen enough of him in action, but is he worth £50m? I doubt it. As a footnote we should not sign Ceballos for a 3rd loan term, please!!

  10. I see our players on loan fight for the clubs they have been loaned to. I see it as unprofessional after such a gutless performance to be fraternising with the opposition, when we really should be ashamed of going down in the manner we did. It just shows a lack of discipline, which wouldn’t have been allowed under Viera or Adams and wouldn’t be seen at successful clubs.

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