Arsenal: 5 positives and negatives of Martin Odegaard transfer

The summer transfer window has managed to come full circle. Initially being linked with Martin Odegaard, who was widely touted as the number one target, rumours have surfaced with every other creative midfielder on the planet and since returned to the Norwegian.

It’s almost as if we could have forgotten about the previous five weeks of the window.

Among the most crucial transfers of the entire window, more so than at either full-back, is securing someone to share the creative burden with Emile Smith Rowe.

There is no better evidence of this than the opening 14 matches of the Premier League season. Without a recoginsed No. 10 in the side Arsenal were lost as an attacking force, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was starved of service and the dreaded horseshoe passing lanes made for excruciating viewing.

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Arsenal: 5 positives and negatives of Martin Odegaard transfer as Mikel Arteta eyes Real Madrid midfielder signing in summer window

Even when Smith Rowe entered the fold the need for someone else to shoulder the responsibility was clear. Just 20 years old, with a worrying injury record and entirely inexperienced in the division, what he achieved during those 33 domestic and European outings was beyond expectations. The hype surrounding him proved to be more than justified.

It didn’t prevent the need for another body coming in during the January transfer window. With gut-wrenching links to Isco and Christian Eriksen, Odegaard’s arrival on loan proved to be a masterstroke.

Real Madrid alumni off the back of a superb 2019/20 campaign joining Arsenal for six months was near enough the best feasible deal the club could have pulled off after failing to solve the issue before the start of the season.

Some question the ‘success’ of his spell in north London while others have waxed lyrical over some of his most stirring performances. With talk intensifying of the Norwegian eyeing a move back to Arsenal and his former employers still holding a strong interest in him, is it the right move? Starting with the good, here are five positives and negatives.

1. Arsenal Can Bide Their Time

‘Bide their time? Hell no! We need players and we need them now!’

Partially, yes. But in this case not as much. Arsenal will play three Premier League matches before the summer transfer window closes: Brentford away, Chelsea at home and Manchester City away.

Fit and firing, there is no reason for Smith Rowe not to be playing every minute of those games. For him, like so many others, it’s a 38-game season with the possibility of extending that depending on how cup runs play out. Pepe is also looking sharp and Gabriel Martinelli may have returned.

Real Madrid need money and with their starting lineup with a midfield trio of Luka Modric, Casemiro and Toni Kroos supplemented by Fede Valverde and Isco, who shone under Ancelotti, their need for Odegaard becomes less noteworthy. They can let him go and there is even talk of Dani Ceballos being handed a chance in his stead (really). You’d think there is space for him, but seemingly not.

What they also need is money. If Arsenal turn around and bid £30m or so in the latter stages of the window they aren’t in a position to be haggling. If their valuation is met there is a deal to be struck.

As for timing, Odegaard knows Arsenal, Arteta and his teammates. While it would obviously be more beneficial for him to come in sooner, none of the No. 10 options on the market would require less time to integrate than the 22-year-old.

One of the most notable aspects of his initial arrival was how quickly he adapted to his surroundings. Now fit and not carrying a knock, that transition would be more seamless.

While there is always risk involved in waiting too late, it means Arsenal can put more focus on securing the vital new central midfielder.