Transfer news: Arsenal and Martin Odegaard have reached the “advanced talks” stage over a loan deal that would see the Real Madrid starlet move to the Emirates Stadium for the remainder of the 2020-21 season, according to a report from our partners at Sky Sports.
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The 22-year-old former wonderkid has made his intentions clear to Real Madrid — he wished to go out on loan once again to play regular first-team football after making just nine appearances thus far for Zinedine Zidane’s side — and the club has reportedly agreed that such a move would be in their best interest as well.
Following the departure of Mesut Ozil this week, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is said to be after a creative midfielder in the mold of a no. 10 playmaker, and Odegaard certainly fits that description. Once thought of as the world’s top prospect when he was only 15 years old, Odegaard hasn’t yet come close to reaching his full potential since signing for Real Madrid just days after his 17th birthday.
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He did, however, enjoyed the best season of his professional career — a loan stint at Real Sociedad — last term as he racked up seven goals and nine assists in 36 appearances across all competitions. Real Sociedad were desperate to bring the Norwegian international back this month, but both Odegaard and Real Madrid preferred the move to Arsenal instead.
The 10th-place Gunners’ goal-scoring record currently ranks 12th in the Premier League, having scored just 23 goals in 19 games this season, with 11 of the 23 coming in their last five games (4W-1D-0L).
This deal appears to be moving rather quickly, with all parties keen on a tidy resolution sooner rather than later, and should be completed well in advance of the Feb. 1 transfer deadline.
