Martin Odegaard continues to impress for Arsenal, drawing plenty of praise from Mikel Arteta amid rumours that he could complete a permanent move to the Emirates this summer.
According to The Mirror, after another top performance, Arteta admitted that Odegaard has already become a key player for Arsenal and one who his teammates look up to.
Such compliments have only increased speculation that the Gunners will try to turn the Norwegian midfielder’s brief stay into a more long-term one.
Odegaard has started five of Arsenal’s last six games since joining on loan from Real Madrid and was involved in all three of their goals as they staged a stirring comeback away to West Ham United yesterday.
“The way he steps on the pitch, he always wants the ball, the way he commands the pressing. He’s been really influential,” said Arteta in his post-match press conference.
“I think we’ve all been a bit surprised because he looks really shy and humble, but when he steps on that pitch, he’s a real character and he loves to play football.
“I think he was very intelligent the way he read the game, the way he affected the game and again he showed how much he wanted to win.
“When everyone was a little trembling, he gave us that stability and that composure on the ball and he created chance after chance.”
Odegaard, who became Norway’s youngest ever international when making his debut at 15, has just two years left on his contract at the Bernabeu.
Despite interest from Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Arsenal amongst others, he joined Real Madrid as a 16-year-old in January 2015.
Odegaard has been sent on loan to Heerenveen, Vitesse and Real Sociedad in recent years, making just 11 appearances for his parent club.
After so much upheaval, the attacking midfielder could seek a permanent departure this summer, with Arsenal the frontrunners for his signature.
