Arsenal: Locatelli, Maddison, Aouar, & Odegaard transfer latest

Martin Odegaard – Real Madrid

This one was dead and buried. Martin Odegaard even penned a heartfelt thank message to the club following his return to Real Madrid, one that felt a lot like a goodbye.

Each and every outlet, and pretty much Arteta himself, led with the idea of Odegaard being the number one target for Arsenal in the summer.

Fans were split on him following his spell, having not been won over by the stretches of matches where he was struggling for form after sustaining an injury. However, on song he was a delight to watch though and when in command of the ball his creative spark added a different dimension in central areas.

Can Arsenal do better for the £50m he’s rumoured to cost? Many will point to Aouar being one such man. And this is where some explanation about Arsenal not going gung-ho for the Frenchman can arise.

Either Arteta has had a big change of heart with Aouar or, quite simply, he isn’t the first choice. Odegaard is.

Having felt he was beyond the Gunners’ reach – there was always hope – The Athletic lay out the financial concerns facing Real Madrid and the unavoidable fact that they have to trim their wage bill. They’re cash-strapped.

Odegaard is seen as a ‘project’ who the club are desperate to succeed, yet finance dictates that they will sell him if a significant offer is received. Arteta was totally smitten by the Norwegian and if ‘significant’ is edging closer towards the £30m mark, there will surely be no hesitation.

What also keeps Odegaard in the conversation is that the longer this window goes on, of all the No. 10’s out there it is the 23-year-old who will survive the best without weeks together on the training ground. He integrated very quickly last time out and Arteta may be putting all other playmaker targets on a standby list behind Odegaard.

This one is far from over.