OPINION
It is not every day that a club from England’s Championship has the chance to sign an internationally recognised wonderkid from a giant of world football – but Leeds United must pass up this opportunity at all costs.
It appears as though the second tier is set to welcome Real Madrid’s Martin Odegaard, with the Mirror claiming that the La Liga heavyweights are set to ship him out in order to continue building his development four years after arriving in the Spanish capital.
The 19-year-old winger, who has 12 caps under his belt for Norway, has just two appearances for the senior side at the Bernabeu, and found himself on a temporary deal in the Netherlands with Heerenveen last season, but it is stated that England is likely to be his next destination.
Now, while Marcelo Bielsa might be tempted to bring in the youngster, especially considering how highly rated he has been for most of his professional career, it is a recipe for disaster and one which the Whites need to steer clear from.
Firstly, the club do not actually need him – with Samu Saiz showing off the sort of form which had fans raving last season, and Ezgjan Alioski dazzling down the wings, the Norwegian starlet would not be a guaranteed starter, and even a substitute place would be a battle.
Secondly, the pressure on the youngster’s shoulders is already massive, and considering last season’s struggles at Elland Road, it takes a certain type of character to manage the expectations from the Whites faithful – the added stress is hardly going to do his game any good.
If he does well, then he simply lives up to expectations, but if he struggles, then the passion of the Leeds fans could be too much to handle.
Furthermore, the dressing room evidently has a good balance, but bringing in a world-renowned name with a notable history at the age of 19 could disrupt it, and that is something Bielsa cannot afford.
It could be a good signing, but there is too much which could go wrong, and there is every chance of it being a lose-lose deal – give it a miss Marcelo.