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Ancelotti calls Odegaard signing a PR move

Reuters

Former Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti didn't pulled any punches, calling the club's 2015 signing of Norwegian wunderkind Martin Odegaard a PR move.

Ancelotti offers his thoughts on the move in his new book, "Quiet Leadership: Winning Hearts, Minds and Matches," and the incoming Bayern Munich manager is quite candid in his assessment of the high-profile transfer and his subsequent disagreement with club president Florentino Perez.

"When Florentino buys a Norwegian footballer, you simply have to accept it," Ancelotti said in an excerpt from the book.

"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."

Odegaard, 17, was signed in January 2015 after interest from several clubs, and the nine-time capped Norwegian international was pegged to be football's next superstar.

Things haven't gone to plan for Odegaard.

Anointed the next big thing with barely a top-tier kick, Odegaard struggled in Real's famed academy, Castilla, and was even dropped by then-boss Zinedine Zidane and current coach Luis Miguel Ramis for pivotal fixtures.

Relegated to the bench, Odegaard hasn't publicly expressed regret in his high-profile decision to sign with Los Blancos, even with a loan move looming large for the teenager.

"It was the best option for the development of my career as much in the sporting sense as personally," Odegaard said in 2015 after signing with Real, adding, "It was a dream come true."

While that may be the case, if Odegaard is looking to gain first-team experience next year, it's doubtful it will be with Ancelotti's current squad.

The Italian's words should put to rest reports that surfaced in April suggesting Bayern was monitoring Odegaard, desperate for progression at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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