Three reasons Martin Odegaard has to stay at Arsenal this summer

Martin Odegaard

Three reasons Martin Odegaard has to stay at Arsenal this summer

Martin Odegaard has now made six Arsenal appearances since arriving in North London and the early signs are promising.

He may not yet found the net or delivered a 'statement' performance – with club legends Tony Adams and Nigel Winterburn not overly impressed by what they have seen – but he is growing into his role in the team and could play a big role between now and the end of the season.

With the top brass at Arsenal set to head to the negotiating table with Real Madrid regarding Odegaard – and Dani Ceballos – this summer, here are three reasons why the Norwegian is worth tying down to a permanent deal.

He's adapting well to the Premier League

'It can take foreign players a while to adjust to the Premier League' is one of the most repeated cliches in football, with Gunners heroes Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp among those often referred to as case studies.

Like most cliches, however, there is an element of truth to it and it can perhaps be used to give Odegaard a bit of leeway for not making the instant impact some had expected for a player with his potential and quality.

But he is improving all the time as he adapts to the English game. Take the win at Leicester as an example, a game which saw the 22-year-old thrive in a more central role and play a key part in setting up the decisive third goal for Nicolas Pepe.

The goal threat will come – Odegaard struck seven times for Real Sociedad last season – and his confidence will continue to grow the more he plays. 

He gets on with the boss

There is a much happier atmosphere around the Emirates now than in the pre-Christmas dark days and Mikel Arteta seems largely to have kept morale up within the squad.

Odegaard has been singing the praises of the boss and said recently: "He's a top coach.

"He's really intelligent, really smart and there are so many things I can learn from him so I'm just happy to be here and be able to learn and see how he works.

"I think his style of play suits me really well."

Given how he has been out of favour with Zinedine Zidane in the Spanish capital, working for a manager who appreciates his talent must be a breath of fresh air for Odegaard – and should lead to Arteta getting the best out of him in time.

Squad depth

The unfortunate injury to Emile Smith Rowe has already shown the value of bringing Odegaard through the door in January, with the loanee softening the blow by providing an almost like-for-like replacement.

With the frantic domestic and international schedule showing no sign of letting up, strength in depth next season will once again be crucial with bumps and bruises inevitable.

Having a player with Odegaard's quality to call upon, whether as a starter or on the bench, will only increase Arsenal's ability to rotate without suffering a lack of attacking threat.

The Gunners have plenty of impressive homegrown youngsters to call upon and if his loan becomes permanent, he will add that Scandinavian stardust to complement the local talent.

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