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Martin Ødegaard to join Arsenal from Real Madrid

By Ernesto Hernandez

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 06: Martin Odegaard of Arsenal warms up during the UEFA Europa League Semi-final Second Leg match between Arsenal and Villareal CF at Emirates Stadium on May 06, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around Europe remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 06: Martin Odegaard of Arsenal warms up during the UEFA Europa League Semi-final Second Leg match between Arsenal and Villareal CF at Emirates Stadium on May 06, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around Europe remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 23: Martin Oedegaard of Arsenal is put under pressure by Yves Bissouma of Brighton & Hove Albion during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion at Emirates Stadium on May 23, 2021 in London, England. A limited number of fans will be allowed into Premier League stadiums as Coronavirus restrictions begin to ease in the UK. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 23: Martin Oedegaard of Arsenal is put under pressure by Yves Bissouma of Brighton & Hove Albion during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion at Emirates Stadium on May 23, 2021 in London, England. A limited number of fans will be allowed into Premier League stadiums as Coronavirus restrictions begin to ease in the UK. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

Arsenal close to reaching deal with Real Madrid for Ødegaard

A familiar face is set to return to Arsenal as the Premier League club is on the verge of signing Martin Ødegaard from Real Madrid.

The Gunners were left stunned in their opening match against Brentford, losing 2-0 and in desperate need of reinforcements.

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According to ESPN, Arsenal will pay Real Madrid €40 million for the 22-year-old Norwegian midfielder. Ødegaard was on loan at the club for the second half of last season where he quickly impressed and became one of their better players.

He returned to Madrid where he hoped to get a chance under new manager Carlo Ancelotti. However, he soon found himself in the same situation previously under Zinedine Zidane.

Out of the many criticisms stemming from the loss to Brentford, one was of the obvious need of creativity from midfield. It’s something Arsenal have lacked for a while and hope they’ve found a solution in Ødegaard.

Depending on how things progress and how quickly he can get up to speed, manager Mikel Arteta hopes to have him available for their match against Chelsea.

As for Real Madrid, they receive a rather generous transfer fee for a player who was not in their plans to begin with. The fee should go a long way towards their objective of signing Kylian Mbappé from PSG.

Arsenal don’t appear to done during this transfer window as they are also close to signing Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, according to The Guardian.

Ødegaard is the more eye-catching of the two as he can be the spark in midfield they need. Arteta is under a lot of pressure to succeed and with his next two matches being against Chelsea and Manchester City, the start of the season is going to be a rocky one.

Next. Liverpool will be in the Premier League title fight till the end. dark

Arsenal don’t have to worry about playing in Europe so they can focus their attention on the league. Challenging for the title is out of the realm of possibility but improving from where they finished last season is not. Ødegaard should go a long way into making them a better team and achieving that goal.

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