Mikel Arteta raises hopes of Arsenal securing permanent deal for Real Madrid loanee Martin Odegaard in the summer as he lavishes praise on ‘influential, intelligent and talented’ star after West Ham draw… while fans continue to beg the club to keep him
- Martin Odegaard shone for Arsenal in their comeback draw with West Ham
- On social media, fans begged the club to make his Real Madrid loan permanent
- Mikel Arteta raised hopes with post-match comments praising the Norwegian
- He said Odegaard is ‘influential, intelligent and talented’ among other things
Mikel Arteta has raised Arsenal fans’ hopes of keeping Martin Odegaard beyond his initial loan spell by heaping praise on the Real Madrid youngster.
Odegaard arrived in north London in January in a bid to galvanise Arteta’s squad, and he has since been the standout performer in the squad.
He was central to the Gunners’ comeback from three goals down to secure a draw against West Ham on Sunday, and Arteta was effusive with his post-match praise.
Martin Odegaard was the shining light for Arsenal in their huge comeback at West Ham
Mikel Arteta heaped praise on the ‘intelligent’ and ‘influential’ Norwegian (second right)
Piers Morgan was leading the way with calls for Arsenal to sign Odegaard permanently
When asked if he was a ‘leader’ in the dressing room, the Arsenal boss said: ‘Well, he’s 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.
‘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.
‘I love talented and creative players that all the time are willing to take the ball and make that happen, that they are mobile and as well hard working. He is one of them.’
Arteta was effusive in his praise of the loanee following the 3-3 draw in east London
As it stands, Odegaard will head back to Real Madrid at the end of the Premier League season
But Arsenal fans are hoping that doesn’t happen and that he will stay with them for longer
Following his stand-out performance at the London Stadium, fans were also quick to tweet that Arsenal should do everything to lengthen his stay at the club.
Notorious Arsenal fan, and MailOnline columnist, Piers Morgan wrote: ‘This guy just put in a better performance than we saw from Ozil in the past 5yrs. Serious talent, terrific work ethic, great mentality. We need to sign him permanently.’
Another fan, meanwhile, noted: ‘Not too many players can hold their heads up high today but I thought Odegaard was unbelievable. He’s a remarkable talent, eye for a pass second to very few and his quick feet gets him out of so many tight situations. We HAVE to get him permanently.’
