Martin Odegaard has refused to rule out a permanent transfer to Arsenal and claims ‘stability’ and ‘development’ will be ‘key words’ when he wants to decide his future in the summer.
Odegaard moved to Arsenal on loan from Real Madrid in January after struggling for regular playing time under Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid and has quickly become a key player in Arteta’s side.
Calls for Arsenal to sign Odegaard permanently grew louder after he helped drag the London club back from 3-0 down to draw with West Ham in what was an outstanding individual display at the weekend.
Arteta has told Arsenal’s board he wants to keep hold of Odegaard beyond this summer and while the 22-year-old insists he’s ignoring speculation over his future, it appears he wants to extend his stay at the Emirates.
‘I haven’t thought about what’ll happen in summer,’ Odegaard told VGTV reporter Arilas Ould-Saada. ‘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.’
Odegaard arrived at Arsenal short on confidence after a frustrating start to the campaign in Spain but the midfielder feels he’s now adjusting to life in a new country and new league.
‘It’s been improving from the very beginning,’ he added. ‘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.’
On his relationship with Arteta, Odegaard added: ‘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.’
Arteta reserved special praise for Odegaard after their 3-3 draw at the London Stadium and said the player showed great ‘intelligence’ in an ‘incredible’ performance.
‘I think he had an incredible performance,’ the Arsenal manager said. ‘I think he was very intelligent the way he read the game, the way he affected the game and again he showed how much he wanted to win.
‘When everyone was a little trembling he gave us that stability and that composure on the ball and he created chance after chance. ‘I love talented and creative players who are willing to make things happen. It’s true that Martin is giving us a different level in certain things we didn’t have.’
