Martin Odegaard has been hugely impressive at Arsenal this season and it’s easy to forget that the midfielder is still only 22.
His importance for the Gunners is growing week-by-week with excellent performances against Tottenham and West Ham in their last two Premier League games.
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The charm offensive has begun as they look to keep hold of him beyond the end of the season and it will be interesting to see where his career heads next.
The midfielder hit the headlines in 2015 when he was snapped up by Real Madrid having only just turned 16.
A fresh faced Odegaard was presented to the media after signing from Strømsgodset and big things were expected of him.
He’d already made his senior debut in Norway aged just 15 and Madrid weren’t the only team chasing his signature.
He trained with Liverpool and Bayern Munich in 2014 as they courted the teenager, while Manchester United were known to be keeping tabs on him.
Odegaard was under greater scrutiny than most normal 16-year-olds, his every move under the microscope.
He joined Real Madrid’s Castilla team, who were coached by Zinedine Zidane, and reports circulated that he was dropped from the side due to troubles in fitting in.
The midfielder would, though, become the youngest debutant for the senior team later that year (16 years 157 days) when he replaced Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Great player, I think he’s a young boy, he can still grow. He’s 16 years old, right? So he has a good future ahead,” Ronaldo said after just a couple of training sessions with the first team.
“We must give him time to learn, to take his best decisions. But I see a lot of potential in the player, good left foot.”
Things then went a bit quiet. He dropped off the radar with Madrid sending him out on multiple loan spells.
Odegaard spent two seasons at Heerenveen then one at Vitesse. Last season, he went to LaLiga side Real Sociedad where he impressed playing 36 times, scoring seven goals.
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He returned to Madrid at the start of the season and seemingly was about to finally get his chance, five years after first signing.
The 22-year-old made seven LaLiga appearances and two in the Champions League before he was destined for another loan.
The option was there to join Sociedad again, but he opted for a move to the Premier League and Arsenal.
It was Mikel Arteta who convinced him to join the Gunners over anyone else.
On the conversation between the pair, Odegaard told the club’s official website: “That was very important for me and he seems like a top manager and I liked his ideas, the way he sees football and also the way he is.”
He continued: “In Norway, the Premier League is really big. We always watched all the games. It’s always been a dream to play in the Premier League and I always liked the way Arsenal played.
“So it’s a dream come true in many ways. [Cesc] Fabregas, for me, was one of my idols when I grew up.”
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It was a move six years in the making as he visited the club when he was 15, before opting for Madrid.
Questioned about that chapter, he said: “I visited the club and trained a little bit. I had a chat with the club and had a really good feeling when I was here.
“I was thinking a lot about it. In the end it wasn’t my decision at that time, but I had a really good time and I remember it well.
“When I was here the first time I had a good feeling and every time I heard about the club, I had a good feeling.
“Now I’m here, so I think maybe it’s meant to be.”
His Arsenal teammates were quickly impressed with his skill and technique with the ball.
Odegaard was filmed juggling the ball as he made his way onto the training pitches for his first session.
He brought the ball under control, catching the eye of Gunners left-back Kieran Tierney.
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Martin Odegaard at Arsenal
Games: 12
Minutes: 767
Goals: 2
Assists: 0
Chances created: 17
Shots: 15
Passes completed: 453
Pass completion %: 86.3
Touches: 587
Touches in opp box: 32
Tierney could be heard saying: “Ooohhhh, what a first touch that is!” while clapping and laughing.
Odegaard’s importance is growing week-by-week and has created 17 chances for the Gunners since joining in January. This is one every 45 minutes, but his teammates have been struggling to convert them.
The Norwegian was particularly impressive in Arsenal’s comeback from 3-0 down against West Ham to draw 3-3.
Mikel Arteta was full of praise for the midfielder as the charm offensive starts, hinting that they want to keep him beyond the end of the season.
“I think he had an incredible performance,” Arteta said. “I think he was very intelligent the way he read the game, the way he affected the game and again he showed how much he wanted to win.
“When everyone was a little trembling he gave us that stability and that composure on the ball and he created chance after chance. 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.”
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After the game, Odegaard posted on Instagram: “Happy with the reaction after a terrible start, but disappointed not to take all three points. We keep going.”
Emile Smith Rowe commented with a goat emoji while Calum Chambers simply hailed him as a ‘wizard’.
The midfielder is clearly well liked by his teammates and what they are seeing in training is translating onto the pitch.
Arteta is now eager to entice him to stay in north London either on another season-long loan or on a permanent deal, according to Eurosport.
It is believed Real Madrid would want in the region of £40million as he still has two years left on his contract.
Though it may not be as straightforward as that. Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole feels the Gunners may face difficulty in trying to sign him.
He told talkSPORT: “Odegaard is a baller. He’s technically very, very gifted.
“There’s talk of Arsenal trying to bring him to the Emirates [on a permanent deal] in the summer. I would be surprised.
“He’s had a few issues with Zidane. They’re not sure if Zidane will be there next season, so that’ll be interesting.”
“The Arsenal fans love Odegaard,” he added. And they will be hoping he can be signed permanently and continue his rise at the Emirates.
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