Arsenal: Martin Odegaard’s chances of permanent Gunners stay

As far as full debuts go, Martin Odegaard couldn’t have done much more in the 4-2 win over Leeds. He formed a pivotal central triangle for Arsenal as they suffocated Leeds for large spells of the match, weighing in with some neat touches and confident flicks.

Everyone obviously saw his Maradona turn. Although, Zinedine Zidane will likely claim the credit for given he is…well, his player and all. He wasn’t too shabby at them either.

Brought in to ease the workload on Emile Smith Rowe’s shoulders, seeing the pair both line up on the same side hinted towards a potential change of heart from Mikel Arteta, or a different outlook from the offset.

Against a side such as Leeds, the need for multiple technically astute forwards to allow Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to focus on his natural instincts, as well as making use of the half-spaces when counter-pressing, vindicated the decision. Other fixtures will demand different profiles, so while it worked, it isn’t expected to be a regular occurrence.

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Martin Odegaard refuses to rule out permanent Arsenal move after impressive full debut in 4-2 win over Leeds

Most notable of all was how effortlessly Martin Odegaard slotted into the team. Integration behind the scenes has evidently been smooth, as the communication across the pitch with his fellow teammates was not indicative of someone making their first start for the club.

As expected, the question was posed to him after game as to whether he could stay on at Arsenal beyond the season.

"“You never know what is going to happen,” Odegaard told TV2. “But for now I am just focusing on doing my best this season and helping the team as much as possible.”"

On his welcome into the Arsenal family, he said:

"“It’s a bit different but I think I am adapting pretty okay,’ the midfielder told Arsenal’s official website. “The way they took me into the team – my teammates – and how they treated me, as well as the manager and everyone in the club, they helped me since the first minute. “I feel really comfortable and a part of the team, so it’s been easy to come in to this team because of the way they are and the way they treated me. I’m just really happy to be here and I’m proud to be a part of this team.”"

While ‘you never know’ is fairly standard ‘footballer talking about his future’ practice, it’s no secret that he hasn’t enjoyed his time at Real Madrid under Zidane, for obvious reasons. What are his chances of moving to the Premier League permanently? As per reports, it hinges on one factor.

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.

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.