The arrival of Martin Odegaard at the Emirates, is one of the best things that have happened to the Gunners in the last decade. And he has been one of the best, if not the best player at his position since 2020. Under the management of Mikel Arteta, Martin became the full time captain of the Gunners 2 years back.
And that decision have really shown fruitfulness in favor of the club so far. In his absence since September this season, the Gunners have really struggled to keep up with the table toppers. Before Martin got injured during his national duties with Norway, Arsenal were on a unbeaten streak. But since then they have dropped 7 points in the league.
Conceding a late goal against the defending champions Man City to the share points can be understandable. But Arsenal were defeated 2-0 by Bournemouth away from home, which have really caused concern for Arteta’s title dream. And the Gunners even had to share points with Liverpool after bottling a 2-1 lead yet again.
In absence of captain Martin, the Red & Whites have really struggled so far, in both attacking and defensive approach. So, the fans and management will really love to see the 25-year-old back in the pitch asap to put them on the right path again.
The captain’s journey so far
Martin Odegaard first arrived at London in January, 2021 on loan from Spanish giants Real Madrid. Due to lack of minutes at the Spanish capital he was sent on loan to play on a regular basis in England. At that time the club was at their rock bottom, as they finished at 8th the previous season. And they were also without Champions League football for the past 5 years.
But who thought a 22 year old Martin would play so well that, with his leadership, he will make this side a title contender for the league and guarantee top level European football. But the credit for that should also go to Arteta. The only reason Martin was sent at London was because, Real’s that time manager Zinedine Zidane didn’t find any place for the Norwegian in his side.
But Arteta extracted the whole out of the 25-year-oldattacking midfielder. And made a system in which Martin can have the ball for the most amount of time. Since his arrival at the club, Martin has scored 31 goals and provided 23 assists in the league. But his game is far more deeper than that.
A clip of Liverpool’s legendary manager Jurgen Klopp has gone viral from two seasons back. When he claimed something that could have changed the current status of the Gunners,
Why Jurgen Klopp failed to sign Martin Odegaard
As per the reports of the Mirror, former Reds manager Jurgen Klopp claimed that during his managerial stint at Borussia Dortmund, he was very close to sign a 15-year-old Martin Odegaard. At that time, Martin was considered as a huge talent with a lot of potential.
While speaking before a Arsenal-Liverpool game in 2022, Klopp said,
“I spoke to him when he was 15 in Norway and the whole world wanted to sign him. He became the player everybody expected at that time.”
Before the move of Martin Odegaard to the Santiago Bernabeu from Strømsgodset in 2014, top European clubs were interested to sign the teenager. Clubs like Barcelona, Man United, Bayern Munich & even the Gunners were keeping tabs on Martin, as Arsneal’s then manager Arsene Wenger believed, while playing Martin looked like a young Cesc Fabregas.
The Catalonians even invited the 14-year-old at the Camp Nou to watch his idol Lionel Messi play in 2014. After the involvements of such big clubs, Klopp’s desire to sign Martin remained as a dream. But As of now, Martin Odegaard seems to enjoy his career at London and he will be pushing harder to win titles with the Gunners asap.
A trusted source on WalkOn.comA trusted source on GoonerNews.com
For more football updates, make sure to follow us on:
