Arsenal confirm loan signing of Real Madrid star Martin Odegaard

Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Real Madrid star Martin Odegaard on loan until the end of the season.

The Norwegian midfielder travelled to North London to put the finishing touches on the deal on Sunday, and with the details in place, all that was missing was the official confirmation from the clubs.

And the Gunners announced Odegaard's arrival in video form on their Twitter account, offering pictures of the 22-year-old in their famous red strip for the very first time. The midfielder has taken the number 11 shirt, leaving the number 10, previously worn by Mesut Ozil, open to one of his new teammates.

Odegaard's signature has softened the blow of the German's Emirates exit, with fans disappointed in how the former talisman's career ended in North London. They can now look forward to witnessing Madrid's playmaker in action, after he struggled to make his mark in their first team under Zinedine Zidane.

The youngster enjoyed a breakout season at Real Sociedad last year, and Los Blancos decided not to allow him to rejoin their rivals on loan for another campaign. Odegaard was expected to become an integral part in the champions' midfield, but he ended up making only seven La Liga appearances in 2020/21.

That absence from their plans allowed the Gunners to jump in and land themselves an excellent piece of business. Arsenal technical director Edu was full of praise for the club's new signing, thanking Madrid for their collaboration in allowing the move to come to fruition.

"We are delighted to welcome Martin to the club until the end of the season. I would like to thank everyone at Real Madrid and Martin’s representatives for their collaboration in making this loan move happen.

"Martin is an exceptional talent and we are strengthening our squad by introducing an exciting offensive player to the club for the remaining months of this season.” 

Gunners coach Mikel Arteta was also delighted with the transfer, stating that Odegaard will offer 'quality offensive options' to his current crop of players.

“It’s great that we’ve secured Martin to come to us until the end of the season. Martin is of course a player that we all know very well and although still young, he has been playing at the top level for a while.

"Martin will provide us with quality offensive options and we’re all excited to be integrating him into our plans between now and May.”