Arsenal have acquired the services of Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard on loan for the remainder of this season.
The 22-year-old wasn’t able to impress Zinedine Zidane during his stint for Real Madrid but he will be hoping to make up for it with good performances for Arsenal.
It has been also learnt that Ajax and Real Sociedad, where he went on loan last season, were also interested in getting Odegaard on board.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta looked very happy with his new signing.
“Martin is of course a player we all know very well. Although still young, he has been playing at the top level for a while,” Arteta was quoted as saying in a statement.
Arteta also mentioned that Odegaard can provide then with quality offensive options and it has been also indicated that he can feature in the game against Manchester United on Saturday.
Odegaard also shared his thoughts about Arteta,”He seems like a top manager and I liked his ideas, the way he sees football and also the way he is. He gave me a great feeling and that was important for me to come here. He was crucial.
“I think it’s a club that really suits me well.”
Odegaard is arriving at the Emirates Stadium after Mesut Ozil’s departure from the club to Fenerbahce.
The Norwegian had joined Real Madrid from Stromgodset in 2015. He made nine appearances for Real Madrid this season.
He grew as a player during his loan stint with Real Sociedad and it looked like he could become a first-team player for Zidane. But he has found himself short of opportunities after starting in the first two La Liga games of the season. Odegaard will now be looking to improve himself further in this stint with Arsenal.
The Gunners are currently placed ninth in the Premier League table. They didn’t have a good start to the season but they have turned their fortunes around in recent times. Arsenal are now unbeaten in their last five Premier League games and now they will be looking to stretch that run further.