Odegaard: Arsenal seal loan deal for Real Madrid midfielder
Martin Odegaard has joined Arsenal on loan for the rest of the season, in a deal that doesn't give the Gunners the option to buy the Norwegian.
Real Madrid's Martin Odegaard has completed a loan move to Premier League club Arsenal until the end of June.
Odegaard loan deal doesn't include purchase option
Odegaard, 22, asked Madrid to let him leave on loan earlier this month after becoming frustrated at his lack of first-team opportunities with Los Blancos, having made just nine appearances in all competitions this season.
The deal for the Norwegian international doesn’t include the option for Arsenal to make the move permanent at the end of the campaign.
Arsenal delay Odegaard announcement until after Saints win
As was previously reported by AS, Odegaard arrived in London on Sunday. The midfielder then passed his medical, signed his contract and posed for his official photos on Monday, also taking the chance to get to know his new club’s facilities.
However, Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Southampton on Tuesday - which Mikel Arteta’s men won 3-1 - meant the club preferred to wait until Wednesday to confirm Odegaard's signing, to avoid shifting focus from the trip to St Mary's.
Arteta "excited" to add Odegaard to his Arsenal squad
"It’s great that we’ve secured Martin to come to us until the end of the season," Arsenal head coach Arteta said. "Martin is of course a player that we all know very well and although still young, he has been playing at the top level for a while.
"Martin will provide us with quality offensive options and we’re all excited to be integrating him into our plans between now and May."
Ceballos "had only good things to say about the club", says Odegaard
Speaking to the Arsenal website, Odegaard said Dani Ceballos, who is also on loan at the Emirates Stadium from Real Madrid, had played a big role in selling the Gunners to him. "Yes, [Dani] texted me the other day and he had only good things to say about the club, the manager and everything," he said.
"That was also important for me and he was happy for me to come here, so that was a good thing for me, to know someone here and to hear from someone inside the club as well. It's good.
"It has been some hectic days but I've been talking to the club, to the manager and it seems like a great project and a great club. I’m just so excited and when I had the chance to come here, I felt like it was a really good chance to take. So I'm really happy to be here."
Gunners on fire in Premier League
Odegaard joins an Arsenal side who are one of the Premier League's form teams. After enduring a disastrous start to the season, the North Londoners have won five of their last six top-flight games to climb to eighth in the table.
Since 26 December, only Manchester City have collected more points in the Premier League than than Arteta's side.