Morning and Happy North London Derby Weekend. Buzzing for it.
Big Arsenal news yesterday was that Martin Odegaard had signed a new 5-year deal with the club. The news did not come as a big surprise.
Following the new deals of Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli, Odegaard’s salary wained below others. Declan Rice and Kai Havertz were also recruited in on a big salary than the club captain.
Odegaard is one of our most important, and best, players. It makes complete sense that he is on similar money as the likes of Saliba, Rice and Saka. The 4 of them really are a World Class quartet.
A lot of praise has to go to Odegaard.
After making his breakthrough in Norway as a schoolboy, Odegaard joined Real Madrid at just 16-years-old.
He struggled for game time at the club and was sent out on 4-loan times, including once to Arsenal. He could have quite easily floated into obscurity like we have seen with many Chelsea youngsters in the past – loan deal after loan deal until they are 25 and end up joining a club in League One.
It would have been easy for him to drop his head and start feeling sorry for himself. Or suffer from a lack of motivation having been made a millionaire before he turned 20. So many other “wonderkids” end up with too much too soon and fail to fulfill their potential.
After his loan spell at Arsenal, he clearly realised that being a Real Madrid reserve was not to be the pinacle of his career and he forced through a permanent move to North London.
Whilst some Arsenal fans were calling for Emi Buendia, for James Maddison, Mikel Arteta knew the player Odegaard could become and the man he was.
A little more than 2-years after joining, he is now one of the best number 8s in the world. He combines technical ability and vision with a superb workrate. He is also a leader on and off the pitch.
You never hear of Odegaard turning up late to training, partying abroad or complaining on social media. He is a model professional and the perfect person to be captain.
Not reliant on a great deal of pace, you can certainly see Odegaard having a long career at the top. Still only 24, you be dissapointed if he failed to maintain his current level for a further 8 or 9 years – Kevin de Bruyne being a similar player in style is still going strong at 32.
Credit also needs to go to Edu and Arteta for this deal.
Saliba, Gabriel, Odegaard, Saka and Martinelli is a fantastic core of a team and all have recently signed those longer terms deals. We are securing our future.
I was concerned 6 months ago that last year could be 2008 all over again – the peak season of a young team. That following them getting a sniff of success, they might do what Cesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy, Robin van Persie et al did and look elsewhere for guaranteed success.
The fact that they want to stay at The Arsenal and earn their success rather than move to a Bayern Munich or Manchester City and be gifted it says a lot about them. It also says a lot that they want to continue working under Mikel Arteta.
All of them will know how much Arteta has improved them. Bar Man City, no other top club has a proper coach that will work with senior players and improve them. Most top clubs rely on players being the “finished article” and their managers do not develop them.
Tomorrow, Tottenham.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 