Martin Odegaard has hit out at the Spanish media for the way they framed his decision to leave Real Madrid.
AS claimed the Norwegian had a ‘lack of ambition’ in seeking a move to Arsenal but the 22-year-old insists the transfer was driven by a desire to lay down roots after an unsettled spell in Spain.
Impressed by his input during last season’s loan spell, the Gunners never gave up on recruiting the midfielder even though they were initially told he was part of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans at the Bernabeu.
“Everything I have read lately is wrong,” said Odegaard in a press conference while on international duty.
“Other than that, I have no need to comment on it. I just think it’s a shame. The Spanish media, in particular, have a way of portraying things, and that’s not the case. That is the only thing I want to say.
Asked why he made the move to the Emirates, he said: “It was because I think it was for the best.
“I enjoyed myself from day one, with my teammates, the coaches and at the club in general. I’m very happy and happy to be back.
I have no need to elaborate on exactly how things played out and when it became possible, but I am very happy to be back and I’m motivated to lift the club up again.
He added: “I want stability. I want to settle down. Now I feel I have the opportunity to be stable. I am part of a very big club, with many exciting young players, a fantastic coach and a club that wants to fight back to the top. I feel it’s pretty perfect.”
Given the fires the club are having to put out left, right and centre at London Colney, it’s nice to hear some positivity from Martin.
Now…if you can just avoid getting injured while playing for Norway, that would be great.
Let’s hope he doesn’t have to find out what the Murdoch and his British tabloid vultures are capable of.
He will.
Worse, he wanted to fight for the top…as it looks, it’s a relegation battle ( obviously I don’t expect that to continue, but it’s funny)
He wants “to fight back to the top”
Sounds like he was given a few stale soundbites. We haven’t been fighting for the top for quite some time, Marty.
They look like vultures, too
Odegaard is a brilliant footballer, our best signing since Alexis in 2014
Real Madrid’s loss, is certainly our gain
We need to get our best 11 on the pitch and find some stability, because we’re going to silence a lot of people if we do
Our first choice 11 is much better than it’s given credit for
…….…Leno
……White Gabriel
Tommy Partey Xhaka
..Odegaard Smith Rowe
…Saka……..Tierney
…..Aubameyang
Its when we get down to the Kolasinac, Elneny, Soares, Mari, type players, is where we’ll suffer
Xhaka would struggle to make my first XVII, replace him with Lokonga and add in a RB (is Tomiyasu coming? is that who you mean by Tommy? or Tommy Partey?) and then we’re talking.
My first XI:
Ed Sheeran
Tomiyasu – White – Gabriel – Tierney
‘Konga-Partey
saka – Odegaard – ESR
Auba/Pepe
[sorry, I’m done with Leno and he doesn’t show much interest in staying so the sooner Ramsdale is #1 the better]
Looks more like a young Sean Bean to me
What do you base your assessment of Odegaard’s skill level on?
There are several candidates for the best signing since Alexis: Partey and Auba spring to mind. There are others. But though I like Odegaard, I don’t think he can lay claim to that honour just yet.
Isn’t our best signing since Alexis, Aubameyang?
Enjoyed reading this 10/10
Looking forward to see what this lad can become
I am okay with every other thing except the “Fantastic coach.”
I am yet to see that manifest on the field of play.
I sincerely hope the tide changes, but the curious decisions and shambolic performances have drained every ounce of Faith from me.
What did you expect him to tell the media? I’m happy to be here although the manager is so shite at managing?
The first honest presser.
I mean Jose Mourinho on Frank de Boer was pretty honest. Would you not say?😁
Feel sorry for the lad. He didn’t ask for that. Still, further evidence – were any required of course – of how far our stock has fallen in terms of how the rest of the world views Arsenal Football Club. We ARE a big club, we’re a massive club, but we’re currently being run like a pub team. Don’t get me wrong, the Kroenkes have now invested nigh on £150m in this window – yet it does nothing to shake off the fact that everything about the way this club operates at the moment is shoddy, unprofessional and second rate.… Read more »
100% and taxi for Edu too plz
Although I’m from Norway and “biased” I realy think Martin will flourish for us and be a big, big star. I think all this negativity and doom about us are so sad. All this Mikel out, sack him now etc…There are SO many reasons the 3 first games have gone as they have. Covid, Injuries, not least the fuc..ng transfer window. The season starts tomorrow. Where are all you who loved Mikel after the FA cup, praised him for the 2 half of last season?!? I know, I know we finished 8 and that hurt. But we have NOT played… Read more »
I agree with you that he has the ability to flourish here with the correct coaching, he comes across as a level headed lad and knew what he was coming back to and came anyway and we all want the club to get a grip of the situation we currently find ourselves in.
Well said!
You obviously know what your talking about, watching him at National level., I feel the same this guy is pure quality. He is a clever guy he has identified an opportunity to inject some style in our team, a chance to be a superstar responsible for getting us back on tract. He will certainly get noticed, when he achieves this.
Agree with your attitude! Trust me mate, online discourse isn’t a fair representative of people’s attitudes. There are many who can place the first 3 games in context and are positive to see how things develop as we get this team together, me certainly included. It doesn’t help that the hysterics are actively encouraged by the media who love a good crisis, especially if its Arsenal. Football goes in runs, and we are on a particularly bad one right now, with everything adding up in the wrong direction, and not exactly helping ourselves. But with our positive hat on, we… Read more »
I don’t think it is fair to say fans who are doubtful of the club management aren’t putting the three games of this season into context. It’s not the losses/dropped points themselves that have me worried. It’s the manner in which we are losing. We are being utterly dominated offensively, defensively and in midfield. A Premier League team like us should be able to give another Premier League team a decent game. Win, draw or loss. The lacklustre performances we’re seeing are all too reminiscent of our defeats to Villarreal and Aston Villa last season. It’s an issue that doesn’t… Read more »
Thank you for this post. I’m a Dutch Arsenal fan since the days of Bergkamp/vPersie, and used to think that Wenger could never be replaced, and that once he’s gone I would probably stop following the club, but my fandom has survived the decline and now I know that it will continue to do so, even in the unthinkable case of relegation. I’m saddened like you by the results so far but more by all the negativity, not outside but within the fanbase. It’s vital that Mikel and his squad retain their self-belief, because from belief comes motivation to put… Read more »
Whilst I don’t think our players are immune to the criticism (and abuse) from our fanbase, I think the management/coaching are more responsible for the players lack of confidence. From the outside looking in, Arteta appears to have created a toxic work environment himself. The fanbase are not too blame for that, he is. Do you think it’s a coincidence that virtually everytime a player has disagreements with Arteta, random leaks regarding that player surface in the news. Özil issue – Rumours surface that Mesut refused a pay-cut. Guendouzi issue – Rumours surface that he was acting wild on a… Read more »
Finally some sanity on here.
This used to the place to come to get away from the hysteria of online discourse. Recently I’ve taken to avoiding my favourite site for a few days after each defeat because of the pure negativity and irrational reactions from Arsenal fans here.
Personally that has disappointed me more than the 3 defeats.
It’s great to be positive, but being pissed about the state of the club currently is not irrational. It is well and truly justified IMO. This site rolls in waves, you guys come on midweek and get all huffy at anyone feeling aggrieved by the state of things and then slink away as we get pumped again each weekend. It’s to the point now that anyone voicing concern is apparently wants the team to lose so they can feel personally vidicated. Maybe you haven’t said that, but plenty of others have. I want the team to win and I’d be… Read more »
Mikel isn’t the man for me to bring us where we need to be and we all need to vent a bit 🤯. We have a lot of positive things at the club with regard to young players and not forgetting we have a top top striker in Auba and others as well but structurally we’re failing, there seems to be a lot of reactionary moves with squad building like the xhaka situation he should playing for Roma this season and we should have upgraded that position same with R/B waiting till the last day to sign someone who has… Read more »
I definitely feel better about our signings being younger. That’s a positive, but the reality is Saliba was a young player too. And that has been handled worse than giving a toddler a glass jar full of marbles on a set of concrete stairs. Many of them we spent big big money on too so there are expectations. White for example has to be a world class signing to justify the money we spent and considering Saliba could have stayed it is a weird area to spend so much on right now. I understand not every signing can be made… Read more »
This is a great post. I don’t agree with a lot of the posters here but I enjoy reading some of their better put together arguments/points of view. People absolutely have a right to be pissed at the club and want Arteta gone. I also get where Litejk is coming from though. There are certain posters who refuse to see anything positive and use EVERY single article to skew the conversation to their dislike of (take your pick) Arteta, Edu, Kroenke. When people bang the same drum loudly and over and over, it drowns out a lot of the great… Read more »
This.
For me, it is not the 3 games of this season. It is all of what Arteta is about at the moment: All smoke and no fire. Arteta used every excuse in the book last season to explain the team’s poor return. He was all song and dance about the need for a full pre-season. His got one this term…yet the team seem to have regressed. I get the covid and injuries, but that does not explain why the 11 on the pitch should capitulate like Afghan soldiers – without a modicum of a fight – thanks in part to… Read more »
100% people forget it was the academy players who came through and saved Arteta’s job last November, not his tactics, or his big money signings.
At the same time Chelsea cast off their inexperienced manager and look how that turned around.
Positive? I am positive the team, as it stands, is shit.
The season started weeks ago, not when you think you get an easier run and can start gaining points.
We are zero for nine points, zero goals scored and nine against.
Wake up!
It’s hard to argue with “lack of ambition” if you new club is out of Europe, languishing in last place, no discernible style, it’s fans disillusioned, and generally regarded by neutrals as shambolic. At times like this, you just knuckle down and do your talking on the pitch. When you get the results (assists and goals) you can all out the haters.
Does the desire for game time equate to a lack of ambition?
Listen, I’m not complaining that he joined us. He’s got the tools, and if he adds goals and assists, he could be great for us. All I’m saying is let your football do the talking before you start picking fights with the press. Also statements like “I feel it’s pretty perfect” just don’t land well with the situation the club is in now. I thought for a moment there he was trolling us 😂
It’s hard to argue against Odegaard having a lack of ambition
Wanting to be part of a team that brings Arsenal back to the very top, is really ambitious, particularly after 2 successive 8th place finishes
Staying at Madrid would have been the easy move
Staying at Madrid was his 1st choice. He had no desire to come to arsenal until he had no other options.
Finally someone else speaks the truth!
The player said so himself, obviously he was lying if the muppets above are to be believed.
I’ll have two of whatever he’s having.
Really terrifically handled by the young guy, very pleased to have him at the club.
Man-crush. Love his positivity. We need more of it!
Have we signed a shaggin right full?
“I want stability.”
Hooo boy…
They went to Nando’s
And ordered lemon and lime on their chicken. Fuckin pussy’oles.
Absolutely love how profesional he is!
Arsenal need all the help they can get. Any Port in a Storm as they say.