One of Mikel Arteta’s best acquisitions has been Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, although he could have come much sooner.
When Odegaard was a teenager, every elite club was vying to sign him at the age of fifteen. He was the most sought-after wonderkid in football.
After giving his choice some thought, Odegaard visited several teams for trial periods, including Arsenal, before deciding to sign with Real Madrid. At the age of sixteen, he made his Los Blancos debut by replacing Cristiano Ronaldo.
His development was hindered for a while by a lack of playing time, and in January 2021 he was placed on loan at Arsenal. Six months later, the move was made permanent.
Odegaard was brought to North London by Mikel Arteta, who also appointed him club captain. However, Arteta has since disclosed that it was Arsene Wenger who introduced him to the Norweigan before Odegaard ever joined Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta claims Arsene Wenger told him about Martin Odegaard in 2015
In an interview with club media, Arteta related how Odegaard visited Arsenal prior to signing a contract with Real Madrid, and he asserted that Wenger had informed him about the midfielder when he was a teenager.
When Theo Walcott questioned Arteta about Odegaard, she replied, “Yes, I did (follow Odegaard closely).”
“I was obviously well-versed in the story, as Arsene had told us about him.” Subsequently, he clearly made the decision to go to Real Madrid.
Was he too young for this? He didn’t have enough time to play because of the high expectations that were placed on him. Eventually, he decided to visit Real Sociedad, my hometown, where we helped him become a man, and that’s where the story started.
How Martin Odegaard ended up at Arsenal
During his early years at Real Madrid, Odegaard was loaned out multiple times. In 2020, he agreed to a two-year loan at Real Sociedad.
Odegaard’s career took off in the Basque Country, where he flourished alongside Arsenal targets Mikel Merino and Alexander Isak, even helping to eliminate Real Madrid from the Copa Del Rey.
Real Madrid chose to extend the midfielder’s loan by a year because of how excellent he was at Real Sociedad. He was unable to make an impression under Zinedine Zidane, though, and he later signed a loan with Arsenal.
Odegaard joined Real Madrid six years after visiting Arsenal, and who knows how his career might have changed if he had joined Wenger’s team in 2015.
