Arteta offers update on Odegaard and Ceballos deals

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 19 May 2021 13:54 BST
• 3 min read

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has spoken about the club’s prospects of retaining Martin Odegaard and Dani Ceballos.

Both Odegaard and Ceballos are with the Gunners on loan from Real Madrid, with the playmaker having enjoyed an especially productive time with the club having arrived in January.

READ MORE: How Odegaard’s arrival has seen Smith Rowe form collapse at Arsenal

However, there is no guarantee that Arsenal will be able to keep either of the players, particularly as they are in danger of missing out on European competition entirely next season.

Currently placed ninth in the Premier League, they travel to Slavia Prague for a Europa League quarter-final second leg with the tie delicately balanced at 1-1 following the concession of a late equaliser in London last week.

Arteta seemed to confirm that uncertainty when asked about the futures of both Odegaard and Ceballos in his pre-match media conference.

“With the financial position we’ve been in we had to find different ways to recruit good players to the club. In both cases I’m really happy with both of them & it needs to be decided at the end of the season,” the Arsenal manager explained.

Ceballos has been at Arsenal on loan from Real Madrid in each of the last two seasons, and so it may be possible for the Gunners to secure Odegaard for a similar period.

Arteta gives Odegaard injury update

He added that there is no certainty that Odegaaard and striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be available to feature for the club on Thursday in Prague.

“I don’t know we have to see today how they are,” he said of their knocks. “We still have a couple of other ones as well in the last few days so we will have to see how everyone is today and after training how they react for tomorrow’s game.”

Balogun set to sign new Arsenal deal

Meanwhile, Arteta did offer Arsenal fans some good news with regards a contract for Folarin Balogun, the highly regarded young forward on the club’s books.

“We’re going to make it official when it’s official. We are very close,” he said regarding a professional deal.