After a successful loan spell at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal has completed the permanent signing of Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid. The 22-year-old midfielder has signed a four-year contract with the Gunners.
The Norwegian graduated player moved to Spain and joined Real Madrid in 2015. He was initially part of the reserve team. For three years, he continued with them and had only got a single first-team appearance.
Arsenal Complete The Signing of Martin Odegaard
Norweigian International Spent Last Season on Loan at the Emirates
In 2017, he was loaned out to a Dutch club named SC Heerenveen where he spent the next two seasons. That spell was soon succeeded by another one in the same league, followed by a move back to Spain.
He spent a season on loan with Real Sociedad before getting his Real Madrid call. However, he was not used much and joined the Premier League side for the remainder of the 2020/21 season.
A Win-Win Situation For Both The Parties
Martin Odegaard joined Arsenal in January after failing to break into Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid team. He then went on to appear 20 times for the Gunners in the short spell. During this period, he had made an impact on the team as well as the manager.
The talks for making the signing permanent had been ongoing since then. Odegaard had been filling the shoes of Mesut Ozil who had departed the same month the Norwegian joined. Although he had only a limited time, the 22-year-old showed a glimpse of what he could deliver for the club.
Arsenal benefitted a lot upon his arrival in January. Although the club ended a disappointing eight last season, the midfielder’s involvement showcased what the club needed the most. He was happy with the spell and was interested in joining Arsenal permanently. And with the Gunners equally interested, it was a mutual connection that would excel.
The player was initially in Carlo Ancelotti’s plan, but he was not included in the squad that played Alaves. In this period, Arsenal closed in on the deal and finalised it for £29.6 million. Odegaard will now be wearing the No.8 shirt at the club.
Mikel Arteta was happy with the signing and said: “A lot of things that he brought last season. He made us better, we needed more options and alternatives for creativity. He is still a really young man but he has huge experiences in clubs already and has unique talents for the way we want to play so I am really pleased the club have made the effort.”
Arsenal’s Summer So Far
With the signing of Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid, Arsenal has now crossed the £100 million mark this summer. They had earlier splashed £50 million for the full-back, Ben White from Brighton.
Along with him, Arsenal also signed the youngster, Nuno Tavares and Albert Sambi Lokonga for a combined fee of around £30 million from Benfica and Anderlecht respectively. They are also closing in on a deal for Aaron Ramsdale from Sheffield United.
Once the highly likely move goes through, the Gunners would surpass Manchester United to become the highest spenders in the Premier League this summer.
Arsenal started this season disappointingly as they were defeated by Brentford, who were promoted for the first time since 1947. With the arrival of world-class players, they should not have any excuse for the awful performances they have been putting and must perform better. They have the best stage to show that as they will be facing Chelsea in the second fixture of the league.
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