Martin Odegaard says “stability and development” will be key in deciding the next step in his career but he won’t be making any decisions until the summer.
The Norwegian midfielder has been quick to make an impression at Arsenal since joining on loan from Real Madrid in January and there are rumours circulating that Mikel Arteta would like to keep the player for another year if he can’t secure a deal to purchase the 22-year-old outright.
“I haven’t thought about what’ll happen in summer,” Odegaard told VGTV (translated by Football 365)while on international duty.
“The deal with Arsenal is until the end of season. We’ll see what happens this summer. I’ve said things before that I still stand for: stability and development are key words.”
While Odegaard is yet to register an assist in his 12 appearances for the Gunners, the players has become integral to the way Arsenal attack and implement the high press. At the weekend, he was involved in the build-up to all three of our goals as we fought back from 3-0 down to secure a draw at West Ham.
Now that his fitness has improved, he thinks his form is on an upwards trajectory.
“It’s been improving from the very beginning. I feel I quickly adapted and understood how we play. I lacked match fitness and self-confidence.
“The more games I’ve played, the better I’ve become. It’s a rising curve.”
Odegaard has also been very impressed by Mikel Arteta’s coaching methods. Asked about his relationship with the Spaniard, he said: “Very good. He is incredible. I have a lot to learn from him.
“I just need to ‘sharpen my ears’ and pay attention. He is fantastic.”
This will come down to the player I think. If we are going to get him, he will have to want that more and be prepared to push for it, changing the playing field for Madrid. Even then, expect a fee of £60-70M and a £200k package
Arsenal. ..the catch and release stream
I would have thought a fee in the region of £50m and £50k pw…
He’s on 80k minimum currently
Really? Heard he was on 20k or so. They spoke about it on Arsecast…
I saw that he was on £40k/week somewhere, so not sure what the right figure is. I was shocked to see Martinelli on £90k/week from that same source (not sure how accurate that is, either).
I heard he was on tree fiddy a week at the moment
These comments show he’s not messing around with his career. I saw stories (probably nonsense from Marca) that said Madrid were furious with his earlier comments about his future. If those stories were true, and he’s now doubled down on that uncertainty, it shows a player clearly open to a move. That could work well for us if he and his agent demand out from Madrid it could help suppress the transfer fee.
So impressed with him but can’t see past Madrid wanting him back at the end of the season. Very much hoping to be proved wrong.
We will have to keep Ceballos, the poor man’s Odegaard.
more like the poor Odi’s man-guard.
we must not keep Ceballos, he really is – and I dont use this word lightly – shit.
Even if so, I can’t see him getting as much game time there as he gets with us, so I’m pretty sure the chances that they’ll sell him the year after are pretty good, because he only got 2 years left on his contract this summer and probably won’t extend if he’s not playing enough. So if we really want him, we may just have to wait a year.
Yes, but we have to remember that other clubs (offering stability and development, but with deeper pockets) may also “really want him” so we’ll have to play this very carefully. The truth is that we’ll only get an idea of the real position in the summer.
The only thing I’m clinging to is the fact that he feels really at home at Arsenal and has found a club where he can truly express himself. Being honest, when Madrid signed him as a 16 yr old, they probably hoped that he would be playing regularly by 20. But he’s struggled slightly and been shipped all over the place like a rich mans Joel Campbell. Before Arsenal, he’d not really settled anywhere – including Real – but you just feel we are a match made in heaven as regards our footballing philosophy and willingness to allow him to… Read more »
Stars being aligned is fantastic but pockets should align as well, which unfortunately we cannot.
We are owned by one of the richest jerks in the world. He can buy him.
He’s a venture capitalist. He won’t spend a penny of his own money. he’s about making money on his initial investment of the club. That’s why we’re 10th.
I totally agree with you Jonny 👍
“like a rich man’s Joel Campbell.” So good.
I reckon Odegaard was fully expecting to play regularly when he returned to Real for this season. Unless Real change manager to someone that he knows and/or trusts will play him, I don’t see why he would want to go back. He says he wants to develop; how much development has RM offered him on the field in 6 years? Therein lies our chance I think, + his contract expiring in 2 years from this summer.
Troodat Johnny. He strikes me (from the various vids I’ve watched) as a pretty level-headed and straightforward Viking-type fella. Meaning that his love-fest with Mik is arguably not just puffery… and his settling in on the pitch speaks for itself.
Emirates will (sadly) remain a considerably smaller pond than Bernabeu for a good few years and he will most certainly big one of it’s biggest fish, should he stay.
The biggest teams are always a struggle for playing time, especially for young talents. It seems a manager, Arteta, is making a commitment to an on loan player. That is a bold, calculated, move… let’s hope it all adds up for Arsenal.
I think there is a secondary factor, reputation. And I think we are underestimating Arsenal’s reputation among European and African players. Going from Real to Arsenal is not (yet) seen like going from Arsenal to West Brom or Everton. Wenger’s name still resonates and, whatever you think of Ozil, he was one of the biggest names in football when he made that move; Alexis was arguably below only the Messi and Ronaldo level what he joined. I’m not claiming this makes up for deeper pockets elsewhere, nor that players are unaware that Arsenal is no longer in the Champions League–but… Read more »
I think some players are attracted to London life too.
Fun fact: Joel Campbell plays in Mexico now
True, if Man City or Chelsea or Liverpool came in for him I think we’d have a job holding onto to him especially if we’re out of the CL…
Stability and RM don’t sit easily in the same sentence.
Development at RM means being farmed out all over Europe at ZZ’s whim.
You’ve come home Martin. Just put your feet up and relax in Blighty, why don’t ya!
Modric is 35 years old and his contract expires at the end of the season. Who is going to replace him?The good thing for Arsenal is that Zidane isn’t a fan of Odegaard. But who knows if Zidane will still be at Real Madrid next season.
Well, some recent reports in Spain suggest that they will want him back – that doesn’t mean that they want to play him necessarily as they could end the loan agreement then put him on the market after he returns to Madrid have seen what interest there is in him when the window opens. I also read that in the event of any sale, his price is now £50 million (presumably on the strength of his excellent performances with us so far) so if he carries on along the trajectory, we can only guess what it might be come the… Read more »
Gissa cash Stan! You know you wanna…
I think we could tempt Madrid into a full season long next year to continue his development. Would be a win-win situation if we can’t sign him or they don’t want to sell. We must have a good enough relationship with them considering we have two of their players on loan.
They could always sell him with a buy-back option, like they did with Alvaro Morata. That way, at least we’d have money to invest in his replacement if they were to activate the option, and they’d have some cash-flow for the short-term.
With financial trouble and Bales wages, maybe we have a chance.
I really hope we can sign him. He reminds me of Cesc mixed with Santi with his technical ability ( which is brilliant ) and has those leadership qualities on the pitch to take the game by the scruff of the neck and help the team going forward.
Fingers crossed for the summer!!
His close quarters vision and decision making is superb. Imagine having Odegaard and Tierney as your team’s motivators for the next decade.
Don’t pinch me. It’s a wonderful dream.
I sense that he also has a welcome hint of Viking steel lurking just beneath that chiselled surface. Something we could most definitely use.
If Odegaard is impressed by Arteta’s coaching, then I hope that this will tick the “development” box. When it comes to “stability” however, I think we will have a bigger problem.
I took it to mean stability for him, which he will get here. Club stability on the other hand…
I think one of the biggest aspects of stability for him is knowing the coach will remain, or if he is replaced, it will not mean a change of systems and preferred personnel. Like Chelsea–yes, they’ve won, but if you’re Odegaard, you see that Conte, Mourinho, Sarri, Lampard, and Tuchel (I may have left one or two out) all want different styles, different formations, personnel, favourites.
Loving what he brings. This is credit to MA and his coaching too.
Obviously not everything has gone well for us, but if a player with Odegaard’s talent praises MA’s ability we should listen.
That!
This all sounds very promising. Trying to not let myself get too excited but we can offer him both of those things – and if you’ve got a lot to learn from Arteta, you should probably stick around…
High praise for the manager, which is great to hear. Fingers crossed we can keep Odegaard long-term.
Actually, that’s his own diplomatic way of saying that he will like to stay on at Arsenal beyond the current arrangement (if agreement can be reached between the two clubs). He can’t force issues, not with the past reputation of the current Real Madrid FC leadership.
Make him captain.
We should make the most unwanted player to be captain. Keep the good players away from captaincy. Look at the fate of all our previous and current captains!
Most probably we will get another season for him on loan, ala Ceballos.
Don’t think Madrid under Zidane are that keen for him.
If Madrid want to keep him, who would you like to see us sign instead?
Brandt? Aouar? Coutinho? Lemar? Buendia?
Keep him for what; shine their bench with his fine arse? Our bench is sturdier, recently bought, and an exceptional shade of red to go with our kit. I daresay we have an edge in that department as well.
Apparently our bench is on Page 3 of Benches Monthly in April. Heady days for the club.
I really hope we can keep Ø, but if not, I’d probably be most interested in bringing in someone like Marcel Sabitzer from Leipzig as a deeper-lying CM (who can also play as a No. 10) while Emile moves centrally again. No offense to Xhaka, who’s been better the past couple months, but having someone as dynamic as Sabitzer next to Partey would be really exciting.
It’s surprising he has zero assists, I guess stats can be misleading. The open mic video of him against West Ham was great, tells a lot about his drive and also his leadership qualities.
But how many times has he assisted the assister….
Aka the pre assist
I dunno. Coast guard?
The Lacazette goal against West Ham is a perfect example. Yes, Chambers executes the cross brilliantly (and Lacazette thumps it perfectly), but the idea for the cross is self-evident. Look at the pass that got the ball to Chambers in that position (and credit Chambers for making the right run). It never happens without a player like Odegaard.
Quite right, make him captain.
Great player, fingers crossed we make a move in the summer and Real Madrid don’t ask for crazy money…
I see a lot of negativity. I think his comments are positive for us. We can provide him development and stability in terms of not dropping in and out of the team. Arteta isn’t going anywhere soon either.
If we win the EL I’d wager he stays.
Sorry but can we get realistic for a second? Unless we win Europa there’s not a hope in hell this guy will sign for us (I try to forget this too, but our results this season are the worst in 30+ years).
I love this club win, lose or draw but even I can see this would be step down for the guy, that’s even IF Madrid want to sell.
Partey, Gabriel, KT all signed for us without CL so your narrative isn’t correct. Players want to win important trophies but when they are younger they want development and to play. This is where MO is at and he’s not getting that at RM. PL is a bigger league with more exposure. If he played for us for 4 years he will become world class through the competition of the league aka Ronaldo. The PL is where world class players come when they are young, top managers, chance to prove yourself against top players and the opportunity to win trophies.… Read more »
Odegaard: stability is important
Arsenal: *volatility intensifies*
All very encouraging from him. I think he would be happy here and obviously has already cemented his spot as our midfielder leader, but the big question will be whether RM will even consider selling him or loaning him to us again.
One underrated thing Arteta has been able to do since he came is keep our most important players. From resigning Auba and Saka, and even new arrivals like Partey, they speak highly of him as a coach.
This shows his ability to communicate his vision clearly. Hopefully he can sell Odegaard the same dream to sign permanently in the summer.
Introspection is the sign of an intelligent mind.
RM are in such a cash-hole, we just have to hope they accept a reasonable price. They come outa the blocks with a ridiculous amount, as always, but let’s hope the ‘needs must’ factor prevails. On another note – @ Blogs… I’m incensed – your Dreaming post suggests that Laca should be on our For Sale list??? Surely you jest, good sir! With Auba in doldrums, the depth and duration of which are decidedly uncertain at this point, Laca has been something of a shining light ito work-rate, tenacity, and yes – goals. Watched the Hammers with the missus, who… Read more »
If Odegaard wants the move, and KSE put in a good offer
Then I think we’ll get him
Keeping a player who doesn’t want to be there, rarely works out well
Hopefully we can convince him that his development is best served at Arsenal
Noticed how so many of our best young players love playing for our manager? I wonder, how important is that? Do you think they talk to other great young players they know? Do you think other great young players across the world notice? If a team, Arsenal, must compete with the biggest money teams in the world without their insane improper budgets….this seems like a good thing…right?
Yes it is, and I wish everyone took note of the term ‘incredible’ that MO, ESR and others unanimously have used to heap praise on Arteta’s coaching qualities. I feel that Arsenal’s future entirely depends on whether or not Arteta gets all the support he needs from both the club and fans.
If he does he can build a new dynasty in the footsteps of Wenger’s invincibles. If not, he will be gone in a year or so and Arsenal will be back to square one, with little or no hope of getting back to the top domestically and internationally.
A lot hinges on winning the Europa. I know that’s five very, very big games away, but that is something that will go a long way towards contributing to getting Odegaard permanently. It will be development. And after a torrid season, it may aid with some stability. And of course UCL.
CL football is essential for us to take the next step. Odegaard will not want to play in the Europa League, and we won’t be able to recruit this summer.
A concern is that Real’s current #10 – Modric – will be 36 this summer. They may want to start integrating Odegaard into the team next season as Modric’s long-term replacement.
Modric’s contract does expire this summer – (so the worst case scenario is that he leaves and Madrid give the #10 shirt to Odegaard and fast-track him into the team) – but it seems he’ll sign a new deal.
Modric wears no.10 but he has never played as one the way Odegaard does, I don’t think Modric signing a contract or not is relevant
He us Norwegian, we play it very close to the vest.
Hire 21 virgins to keep him.
I’m not even going to ask…
Username checks out
Performences like Ødegaard’s on Sunday go to show how overrated assist is as a statistic.
The article says he is yet to register an assist for Arsenal! Who cares? Without him, there is no way we are drawing that game.
In a world where Willian is credited with an assist for Tierney’s equaliser against Benfica, you see what I mean.
I think the recent (last decade or so) fascination with assist stats stems from the Fantasy Premier League game.
It’s true. And for the case of goals scored it should include key contributors
Aaaaaand he went off at half-time tonight with an ankle knock…..
while i agree hes been fantastic.. i do find it odd how you are willing to focus on chances created and pre assist numbers now but when ozil was around you would only look at assists
My thoughts excatly haha
We need to sign him back such a young talent majorly underrated by real
Stay please Martin