‘We will have discussions in the next few weeks’ – Arteta confident of striking Odegaard deal

Nicholas Hughes

• Updated: 27 May 2021 13:34 BST
• 4 min read

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has declared his hope in signing Martin Odegaard permanently after a productive loan spell from Real Madrid.

The Norwegian arrived from Los Blancos in January and played 14 times in the Premier League, scoring once and assisting two goals, both of which came in the final two games of the season.

And his performances have done enough to impress Arteta, with the Spaniard eager to enter negotiations with Madrid in regards to a permanent purchase.

“He’s not our player, we will have discussions in the next few weeks. We respect he’s a Real Madrid player and will have those communications,” he told reporters after Arsenal’s final day victory over Brighton.

“We have a very clear and strong position on what we want to do.”

Arteta said he has been pleased with Odegaard’s integration into the side and hopes the player has felt a connection with the club to remain in the longer term.

“We’ve tried to make everything that we could to get Martin performing for the team, which I think he’s done, and he’s adapted really well to our way of playing and our football club,” he said.

“Hopefully, we have given him the hope and the feeling that this could be a good place for him here.”

The Spaniard admitted a move is “not in our hands” with it being up to Real Madrid whether or not they sell.

Martin Odegaard’s statistics at Arsenal

The 22-year-old has only played eight times for Real Madrid in La Liga, with four full seasons spent on loan across four different clubs.

Odegaard appeared to farewell the Emirates Stadium faithful, the first time he had played in front of a home crowd, after the side’s 2-0 win over the Seagulls.

The Gunners ended up in eighth place, missing out on the inaugural UEFA Conference League at the hands of rivals Tottenham.

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Arteta remains confident of being the man to turn the club’s fortunes around, rather incredibly claiming that his team has been “second or third best” in the league since December.

Odegaard would be a big capture, while the Gunners have also been strongly linked with Yves Bissouma and Julian Brandt.