Arsenal have completed the signing of Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid on a five-year contract for a fee believed to be in the region of €35 million (£30million).
The Norwegian spent the second half of last season at the Emirates on loan and impressed Mikel Arteta across his 20 appearances, scoring twice and assisting two more goals for his team.
It did look as though he might be staying at Madrid this summer, especially after he posted an emotional farewell to the Arsenal supporters on Instagram, but following his omission from the squad for the La Liga giants’ competitive opener of the season against Alaves, the 22-year-old has made a permanent switch to north London.
football.london understands that a first refusal clause has been inserted into the deal, which means Real Madrid will be given the opportunity to match any offer received for Odegaard in a potential future transfer.
It means Edu and Arteta have finally got the creative midfielder they’ve prioritised all summer long, with moves for Leicester City’s James Maddison as well as Lyon’s Houssem Aouar among the names touted with a possible move to the Emirates.
However, as Arteta knows what can do as a player from his loan spell, it appears as though the Norwegian has always been the Gunners’ first-choice option.
And luckily, Arsenal fans are just as happy with the deal as their manager is.
Take a look at what’s been said on Twitter.
@DarrenArsenal1 said: “Good signing, well done.”
@TheFalseNein said: “MO8. Elite. Gargantuan.”
@Aadozo said: “Welcome to AFC Odegaard.”
Odegaard will wear the No. 8 shirt at the Gunners but won’t be handed his debut on Sunday against Chelsea as the transfer is subject to the completion of regulatory processes and visa requirements.
