Real Madrid had great hopes when they signed Martin Odegaard at the Bernabeu in 2015. The gifted 1998-born midfielder, however, fell short of those expectations and was later loaned out to a number of different clubs.

After arriving at Arsenal on loan, the Norwegian midfielder made an impact under boss Mikel Arteta. Because of his outstanding performance, Arsenal agreed to pay him £30 million to sign him permanently. In the Emirates Stadium, Odegaard even gained the confidence to don the captain’s armband.

As usual after every goal scored by Arsenal, captain Martin Odegaard, along with his teammates, celebrates together before quickly running back to the technical area to receive tactical instructions from the coaching staff. Not only Odegaard, but Declan Rice also receives meticulous guidance and instructions from manager Mikel Arteta.

Recently, Odegaard openly admitted that one of the main reasons he chose to join Arsenal was Mikel Arteta. He said, “I spoke with Arteta, and he told me all about the plans he had for building at the Emirates. At that time, Arsenal was not performing well, sitting at 15th place in the standings, but Arteta still had absolute trust.”

“Arteta is passionately dedicated and sometimes a bit crаzy. But you understand that whatever Arteta says will happen, it will happen. His plans convinced me. Arteta knows exactly what needs to change at the club. He told me all about the fantastic young players in the team, like Saka, Martinelli, Smith Rowe…”

“Arteta believes that this group can compete for major honors. He told me how he wants me to integrate and how I will progress. I have a strong feeling that Arteta is doing something truly special, and I decided to be part of the plan he is building.”