Front Arsenal Boss Arsene Wenger has admitted he plans to sign Martin Odegaard before joining Real Madrid in 2014.
The Whites sealed an incredible deal to bring Odegaard to Madrid in January 2015, just over a month after his 16th birthday, after signing a €3m deal with his youth club Strømsgodset.
Odegaard has been flagged as a potential world-class talent by Real Madrid scouts but has made just eight La Liga appearances, from 2014 to 2022.
After failing to make it into Real Madrid’s first team, Odegaard spent time on loan at SC Heerenveen, Vitesse and Real Sociedad before joining Arsenal in 2021.
A six-month loan deal convinced Mikel Arteta and Arsenal signed him permanently ahead of the 2021/22 season, with the Norwegian later being named club captain.The 24-year-old played an integral part in Arsenal’s march to the top of the Premier League table in early 2023, but Wenger was frustrated at losing him as a teenager.
🏆Man of the Match – @Arsenalby Martin Odegard
Goal – 1⃣
Assists – 1⃣
Opportunities created – 3⃣
Possession won in the final 3rd – 2⃣ pic.twitter.com/3HOVoAkk2B– Sky Sports Status (@SkySportsStatto) 31 December 2022
“When he was 15, I talked to him about joining Arsenal. I talked to him about it again after the match on Boxing Day” Wenger said in an Interview with the Norwegian media. TV2.
“I desperately wanted to sign him. Luckily it’s here now. He is like a young Cesc Fabregas. He has become a complete player.
“It has developed very well. Is fantastic. The decisions of him, he is also a leader in the team ”.