Martin Odegaard confirms that he is not joining Arsenal and plans to test his luck at Real Madrid
Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard has confirmed that he is not continuing with Arsenal FC after a year of lone spell at the Premier League club, despite the Gunners being heavily interested to buy him on a permanent deal from Los Blancos.
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What Martin Odegaard has said
He made his decision public with a farewell post on his official instagram handle. Posting a picture of him in the Arsenal jersey, the player wrote in his caption, “Arsenal. Thank you so much for these 6 months. My time with the Arsenal family will always hold a special place in my heart. I wanna thank everyone in and around the club for the way you made me feel like a part of the family since the first day.”
“Special thanks to the fans, even without you guys at the stadium for the majority of the season, I felt you with me at all times. A huge thank you to the boss and his staff for everything I’ve learned during my stay. Thank you also to all my teammates for such a great time on and off the pitch. Will miss you all.”
Sky Sports journalist Fabrizio Romano also confirmed the same through his official twitter handle, through which he wrote, “Martin Odegaard officially confirms that he’s not re-joining Arsenal, despite #AFC wanted to sign him. Flag of Norway. Real Madrid plan is to keep Martin – Isco could leave the club if the right bid will arrive. Odegaard message to Arsenal fans: ‘You’ll have a special place in my heart’.”
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The Norwegian International, finding it difficult to get some game time at Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid, had agreed on a loan move to Arsenal last season. He made an immediate impact at the Emirates and became a fan favourite from day one. At one point, it was looking like Martin Odegaard was extremely close to signing a permanent contract at Arsenal, but Zinedine Zidane’s sudden resignation changed things completely.
Real Madrid appointed Italian tactician Carlo Ancelotti as their new head coach within a week of Zidane’s departure. Ancelotti wanted to test all the loanees of Real Madrid himself, especially the young ones, before taking a final call regarding their future. Martin Odegaard, the promising playmaker, was also included in Ancelotti’s list of players which he would like to test himself and thus the 22 year old decided against signing for Arsenal.
In his 6 months at Arsenal, Martin Odegaard played 14 matches in the Premier League, scored 1 goal and provided 2 assists.
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