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Arsenal: Martin Odegaard’s chances of permanent Gunners stay

By Ross Kennerley

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 14: Martin Odegaard of Arsenal warms up prior to the Premier League match between Arsenal and Leeds United at Emirates Stadium on February 14, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 14: Martin Odegaard of Arsenal warms up prior to the Premier League match between Arsenal and Leeds United at Emirates Stadium on February 14, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, Martin Odegaard
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 14: Martin Odegaard of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Leeds United at Emirates Stadium on February 14, 2021 in London, United Kingdom. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images) /

Could Martin Odegaard Join Arsenal Permanently?

The Norwegian has refused to rule out a full-time move to Arsenal in future, an understandable stance for numerous reasons. It may be out of his control, however, depending on how the season develops in Spain.

According to AS, Odegaard has no intention whatsoever of returning to Los Blancos if Zidane is in charge. He is unwavering in his stance and knows he will not develop or garner the minutes his career needs if he remains under his management.

Madrid have been disappointing in La Liga this season, sitting five points adrift of Atletico in top spot, this with Los Rojiblancos having played two fewer matches.

The title looks well beyond their reach given Atleti’s continued fine form, which means Zidane’s future may come down to how Madrid perform in this season’s Champions League. They have Atalanta in the round of 16 in a tie that could go either way. It’s highly doubtful they’ll win the competition thus further defeats in La Liga could firmly dispel them from the title race, and leave Zidane without a job.

If he goes then whoever comes in will have a decision to make on Odegaard, and if he continues to perform at the level he showed against Leeds would certainly be back in contention. However, there is a financial aspect to everything. Come the summer he’ll have two years left to run on his deal and has a market value hovering around the £35m mark, money that Madrid, like so many clubs, would be unlikely to sniff at.

At this stage Arsenal won’t be looking too intently into any permanent deal, and rightly so since they’ve only been treated to 115 minutes of football from the 22-year-old. It’s far to soon to make a long-term judgement even if the general consensus is that his quality is no one-off and similar outings can be expected until the end of the season.

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There is no agreement in his loan deal for a purchase option, but the situation grows more in Arsenal’s favour given Los Blancos’ financial circumstances.

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