Martin Odegaard has been compared to Mesut Ozil for his impact at Arsenal during his short-term loan from Real Madrid.
That is the opinion of former Gunners star Perry Groves, who has told Mikel Arteta to forget about signing him.
It comes after the Norway international returned to the Bernabeu following his stint in north London.
Arteta had been desperate to bring in a creative midfielder and was blown away by the impact the 22-year-old had at the Emirates.
So much so that he was willing to make Odegaard a permanent member of his squad, which appeared likely at one stage with Zinedine Zidane in charge.
But the Frenchman left and was replaced by Carlo Ancelotti, who has insisted he will make the youngster part of his plans.
That has come as a blow to Arteta but Groves has insisted that it is good riddance after comparing his effort and impact to that of Ozil, who was booted out of the club by the Arsenal boss.
“When I watched him play I could tell he had a lot of talent but he reminded me of a younger version of Mesut Ozil because he didn’t get a grip of the game enough,” Groves told talkSPORT.
“Ozil had so much talent and when he fancied it, he was one of the best players in the Premier League.
“He didn’t do it on a regular basis and didn’t dominate the way he should.
“If you’re playing in the No.10 role you’ve got to do better from Odegaard’s point of view than one goal and one assist.
“You’ve got to contribute more in a side that usually dominates possession. Emile Smith Rowe can play in that position as well and he’ll give you more on the ball and off it – so it didn’t surprise me at all.”
Arsenal are desperate to sign a playmaker and have not given up their hopes of signing Odegaard.
In 20 games for the Gunners, the midfielder scored twice and made two assists.
However, it was his strike against Tottenham that made him a cult hero at the Emirates.
With his future in the balance, the Norweigan admitted that he was not sure where he will be next season.
“To be honest, I don’t know what is going to happen," he told talkSPORT in May.
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“I’m focused to finish the season well, then I have some games with the national team and then after that we’ll see what happens and sit down and talk.
“I’m owned by Madrid so will have to talk to them and see what they think and then we can decide together about the future.
“At the moment, I don’t know what is going to happen.”
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