Arsenal Must Find A Way To Keep On-Loan Martin Odegaard Beyond The Summer

January is a difficult time to find value in the transfer market. Arsenal, however, found it in Martin Odegaard, the Norwegian midfielder who made the switch to North London on loan from Real Madrid in the mid-season window. Odegaard might only be at the club until the end of the season, but he is already a key figure for Mikel Arteta.

The true extent of Odegaard’s influence could be measured in the way he pushed to a 3-3 draw from 3-0 down away to West Ham United before the international break. “When everyone was a little trembling he gave us that stability and that composure on the ball and he created chance after chance,” Arteta said afterwards.

“He’s been showing that, I think, from week one. The way he steps on the pitch, he always wants the ball, the way he commands the pressing. He’s been really influential. I think we’ve all been a bit surprised because he looks really shy and humble, but when he steps on that pitch he’s a real character and he loves to play football.”

Odegaard is the perfect Arteta midfielder. Many questioned how the 22-year-old would fit into the same team as Emile Smith Rowe, another attack-minded midfielder, but the pair have become Arsenal’s creative hub. Odegaard is the sort of ball-playing central driver the Gunners needed through the middle of the pitch.

Of course, the problem for Arsenal is that Odegaard is set to return to Real Madrid at the end of the 2020/21 campaign and recent media reports from Spain claim the Santiago Bernabeu outfit is likely to recall the Norwegian this summer. As Real Madrid see it, Odegaard is too valuable to let leave.

Despite this, Arsenal must find a way to keep the 22-year-old. Odegaard is the sort of player Arteta can build his team around. There is already strong evidence that the Norwegian would be a good fit for the Gunners and so the element of uncertainty that comes with most transfers would be eliminated.

Even if it’s a loan deal for a second season, Arsenal should seek to keep Odegaard at the club in whichever way they can. A permanent transfer might not be possible this summer, but the Gunners can at least keep him around on loan long enough to address some other areas of the team. 

There is also good reason for the Norwegian to stay in North London. While Zinedine Zidane hinted that Odegaard would play an important role for Real Madrid this season, cutting short a two-year loan stint with Real Sociedad last summer, the 22-year-old has yet to truly convince the Frenchman.

It was through this lack of first-team action and faith from the manager that Odegaard requested to leave Real Madrid in the January transfer window. At Arsenal, Odegaard wouldn’t just receive regular game time, he’d be a kingpin. 

“I haven’t thought about what’ll happen in summer,” Odegaard explained in a recent interview given while on international duty with Norway. “The deal with Arsenal is until the end of season. We’ll see what happens this summer. I’ve said things before that I still stand for: stability and development are key words.”

Stability and development aren’t things Odegaard is guaranteed to find at Real Madrid. A loan move might be an unstable solution by its very nature, but Arsenal would appear to be the place for the Norwegian to continue his growth. At this stage of his career, Odegaard needs to play soccer and Arsenal can give him that. In return, the midfielder can offer Arsenal plenty. He’s also shown that.