Martin Odegaard has revealed how Mikel Arteta persuaded him to join Arsenal over a Zoom call in 2021.
It’s now just over two years since the 24-year-old arrived in north London, initially on loan beofre the move was made permanent ahead of the 2021/2022 season.
After just one full season at the club, Odegaard was announced as the new captain and he has been in sensational form this season, leading the Gunners to the top of the table as they look to lift the Premier League trophy for the first time in almost two decades.
The Gunners were down in the bottom half of the table when they first approached Odegaard to join the club, after he struggled to earn himself a regular spot in the Real Madrid starting lineup.
Writing for The Players’ Tribune, Odegaard detailed how Arteta was able to convince him that Arsenal was still the right option despite the obvious struggles on the pitch.
“I spoke to Mikel Arteta on a Zoom call and he told me all about the project,” Odegaard wrote.
“At the time, Arsenal were not doing well. They were way down like 15th in the table, but that meeting … Honestly, I challenge anyone to come away from a meeting with Arteta and not believe everything he tells you.
“He is next level. It’s hard to explain. He’s passionate, he’s intense and sometimes, yeah, he’s a bit crazy … but when he speaks, you understand that whatever he says will happen, will happen.
“He told me his plan, everything he was building towards. He knew exactly what needed to change at the club. He told me all about these amazing young players in the squad — [Bukayo] Saka, [Gabriel] Martinelli, [Emile] Smith Rowe, etc., etc. He told me how he wanted me to fit in and how I was going to improve.
“I got this strong feeling that he was onto something really special.”
Odegaard made his senior international debut for Norway as a 15-year-old, before making the move to Spain to join Real a year later.
Loan spells at Heerenveen, Vitesse and Real Sociedad followed, with Odegaard revealing it is only now that he is at Arsenal that he feels truly settled.
“I can only thank Madrid for investing in a 16-year-old kid,” Odegaard said.
“Everybody had good intentions and I don’t blame anyone, but I needed to find a place where I could settle. I needed to find an actual home. I found it in north London.
“I’m so proud to be captain of this club and I feel like I’m going to be here a long time.”
