Arsenal forced into huge Martin Odegaard transfer rethink

Arsenal grew very fond of Martin Odegaard. Mikel Arteta certainly did and so too a large portion of the club’s fans, although there was always the fear of growing overly attached to a player that would only be flirting with the Premier League. It appears the attachment won’t blossom.

It took only 20 matches for Arteta to be swayed by the Norwegian. Having pulled off an impressive coup in bringing the midfielder to north London in the January transfer market, what transpired was nothing even remotely resembling the ill-fated Denis Suarez move, nor was there much comparison to Dani Ceballos.

Odegaard wasn’t perfect, though. Guilty of going missing in certain matches brought upon a few overboard critics, just as there were some overzealous appraisals for him following a strong performance or two.

When Arsenal were in control of possession was when Odegaard was at his most free-flowing, orchestrating those in front of him from his preferred zone in the right half-space. His weight of pass and understanding of space is unapologetically natural, while his ability to create partnerships with those around him helped bring the best out of the likes of Calum Chambers and Emile Smith Rowe.

Arsenal forced into huge Martin Odegaard transfer rethink as Real Madrid stance on summer transfer is revealed

Due to his lack of defensive output he could become a passenger on occasions, however, as matches where Arsenal surrendered lots of possession were him at his not so fluid best. A healthy degree of mitigation is nonetheless needed as he did pick up some unfortunate injuries, had only been in the Premier League for a matter of months and, after all, is just 22 years old.

Whether or not he should be brought back to the club has caused debate among supporters, discussions largely centred around the hefty £50m asking price that has been mentioned across the media. It’s a huge sum of money for a club without significant finances, especially with multiple areas to reinforce across the pitch.

Being at the top of the Gunners’ summer wishlist, it’s now time for the club to put their recruitment hats on. The Athletic report that as it stands Odegaard is expected to stay at Real Madrid for the coming 2021/22 season. Their chances of bringing him back to the club in any capacity are ‘slim’.

So…there’s a chance?

Continued…