In a recent report, Football.London has revealed that Arsenal are eager to keep hold of Martin Odegaard, who is having an impressive loan spell with the Gunners since joining from his parent club, Real Madrid back in January. It is believed that the North London giants are hoping to retain the services of the Norwegian playmaker beyond this summer as he has proven himself to be an important member of Mikel Arteta’s first team (via Football.London).
Odegaard’s Impressive Loan Spell At The English Capital
Odegaard has enjoyed his loan stay with the Gunners as he has been given regular game time by Arteta over the past couple of months. The Norwegian talent has managed to produce some eye-catching displays for Arsenal but has only netted two goals in 16 senior appearances for his loan employers this term across all competitions.
The 22-year-old has given a good account of himself by averaging 1.0 shots, 1.4 key passes, 0.5 crosses and 0.8 dribbles per game in the Premier League this season. He has even distributed possession exceptionally well after completing 91.6% of his attempted passes in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).
Odegaard has fit into Arteta’s playing style quite well but needs to find a way to improve his productivity in the attacking end of the field. The Norway international’s current contract with Los Blancos is set to expire in the summer of 2023, so Arsenal would be wise to engineer another loan move as they might struggle to generate the funds needed to sign him permanently this summer.
Why The Gunners Need To Retain Odegaard’s Services Beyond This Summer
Odegaard is a moderately paced playmaker who can make some driving runs with the ball towards the opposition penalty area. He has got excellent vision and can set up some neat chances for his teammates in the final third. The Norway captain is a great crosser of the ball and can be a specialist from dead-ball situations. However, he needs to add a few more goals and assists to his name if he wants to become a success story at the top level.
There is no doubt that Odegaard’s loan spell with the North London outfit has been quite fruitful so far. Hence, the player could be tempted with the opportunity to stay at the Emirates Stadium beyond this summer. Therefore, Arteta would be wise to arrange another loan move for him to prolong his stay for one more season.
Otherwise, the Gunners could also choose to cut off some of the deadwood from their squad so that they can fund a move to bring Odegaard to North London on a permanent basis this summer. Either way, Arteta has to make sure that he keeps hold of his best players like Odegaard if he wants to have a strong team capable of challenging for a top-four in the Premier League next season.
