Martin Odegaard wants to extend Arsenal stay with Real Madrid maestro impressed by Mikel Arteta’s project

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According to football.london, Martin Odegaard wants to extend his stay at Arsenal beyond a half-season loan deal, with the Real Madrid maestro impressed by Mikel Arteta’s project.

Odegaard is currently set to return to his La Liga outfit in the summer after only joining the Gunners on temporary terms, but has often proven pivotal to results in north London.

Arsenal do not have the option of turning the midfielder’s spell permanent after Los Blancos refused to discuss any such clause during negotiations in January, with the move sanctioned solely to afford him more game time.

Arteta has long requested Arsenal secure a deal to retain Odegaard beyond the end of the term (Daily Mail), either on loan or in a permanent move, but a transfer has seemed unlikely with Zinedine Zidane deeming it a mistake to part with him in January (Defensa Central).

Yet the Gunners boss could yet get his wish, as the Norwegian playmaker is said to be keen on extending his stay at the Emirates Stadium, having been impressed by the project Arteta is laying out.

Odegaard also respects that he has been made to feel a valued part of the squad since his arrival, with the 22-year-old playing 18 games across all competitions and only failing to feature twice outside of an ankle injury last month.

But, with funds expected to be tight in north London for transfers this summer, Arsenal will have to rely on Real Madrid warming to another loan deal if they are to retain Odegaard.

TBR’s view:

Odegaard has certainly helped to turn Arsenal’s fortunes around at times since his mid-season arrival, and will have cemented the admiration of supporters by scoring the equaliser in the Gunners’ 2-1 victory over rivals Tottenham Hotspur in March.

A magnificent performance from Odegaard also helped the north London side to come from behind and salvage a point at West Ham United, after which Arteta waxed lyrical to the media, claiming in quotes by Goal:

“He had an incredible performance. I think he was very intelligent [in] the way he reads the game, the way he affected the game. He showed how much he wants to win. When everyone was a little bit trembling, he gave us that stability, that composure on the ball and created chance after chance.”

Odegaard has also spoke fondly on Arteta, telling VG: “I have a lot to learn from him. I just need to ‘sharpen my ears’ and pay attention. He is fantastic,” so it is no surprise that the Spaniard’s vision could now see Arsenal secure the Norway captain’s services for longer.