Martin Odegaard was convinced to join Arsenal after Mikel Arteta explained that his plan for the club was centred around Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe.
Odegaard joined Arsenal on loan in January 2021 after only making nine appearances in the first half of the season for Real Madrid. Still only 22 years old at the time, it was a big decision for Odegaard, who appeared to be stagnating at Real after gaining huge hype as a wonderkid in Norway.
Arsenal were struggling in the Premier League at the time and Odegaard could have returned on loan to Real Sociedad, where he had contributed seven goals and nine assists across 36 appearances the previous campaign. But he says that Arteta sold the project in north London very well to him to seal the deal.
