Arsenal to complete 5 out of 7 transfers with £58m deals

Arsenal to Sign Martin Odegaard for Bargain £30m

Martin Odegaard is coming back.

Did he ever leave? Such was the regular updates and overwhelming adoration from the club to take the Norwegian back it’s almost as if he just spent a few months in Spain working on his fitness.

Not even handed a number by Real Madrid let alone chosen for the squad to face Alaves on the opening day, Carlo Ancelotti’s feelings couldn’t have been clearer.

There was talk of a loan move for the 22-year-old but as per The Athletic it will be a permanent deal, one worth around £30m. Work is still to be done but there is a general acceptance, as has been reported, that this deal will be completed with a willingness on all sides to get this over the line quickly.

Considering Arsenal sold Joe Willock for around £25m, Odegaard has effectively replaced the academy graduate for £5m. Framed that way, any doubters of the Willock deal have to see this as superb business. Yes, how he fares remains to be seen, but that move looks increasingly suave from the club given Willock never hit the heights in red and white, had no concrete interest barring Newcastle and isn’t joining a rival.

While this deal isn’t signed off on yet, the feeling is that it will be before Arsenal host Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday, the venue of Odegaard’s last competitive fixture. It was his first in front of the fans and one of his better displays for the club.

Captain of the Norway team, it’s easy to forget Odegaard is only 22 years old. He won over the coaching staff and his teammates during his six month loan in north London, demonstrating excellent work ethic and leadership the club have sorely lacked. All of which doesn’t mention his actual ability. That’s not bad, either.

With a huge ceiling, considering he arrived in mid-season, in a COVID-19 environment, carrying an injury, was in a poor side only just starting to improve and then picked up another injury, there is plenty more to come from him.

Time will tell. However, for just short of an additional £60m, Arsenal look like getting up to five of the seven transfers they sorely needed prior to the window beginning.

Another midfielder would be preferred, but as it stands they’re lacking a right-back and a striker, both of which are dependent on sales. Can they do it? They have less than two weeks and still need to get Ramsdale and Odegaard to dots the i’s and crosses the t’s.

It looks like they will. Now to the rest.