Arsenal: 3 reasons Martin Odegaard loan transfer works

2. If Mikel Arteta is Sacked the Next Manager Has Freedom

Having been told from the horses mouth for six months and then reliably informed all summer, Arteta loves Martin Odegaard. Adores him. Sees him as the ideal footballer for what he wants and cherishes what he offers off the pitch, too.

He’s very much his man, in that sense.

Should he arrive as he appears to be doing, then he’ll play week in week out under the Spaniard. But what if results and performances continue to leave plenty to be desired? What if the straw breaks the camel’s back and Arteta is sacked?

Well, in that case, whoever comes in needn’t be forced to find a way to work with £40m or so Odegaard if he doesn’t like his profile.

It’s hard to imagine any manager not being able to use Odegaard in a Premier League team that consists of a few Willian’s and Mohamed Elneny’s, but to each their own. The new boss may have other ideas and if he does, he won’t be shackled with this shiny new signing and can instead find another target in the coming summer.

So, in many ways, a loan suits the Arsenal hierarchy more than anyone else.