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Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has opened up about his experience of watching the UEFA Champions League growing up and now competing in it next season.
The Gunners finished second in the Premier League last season, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign. Manager Mikel Arteta has built a rather young squad at the Emirates. Hence, a lot of current Arsenal players haven't competed in the Champions League, including captain Odegaard.
In a recent interview with Sky Sports, the Norwegian midfielder expressed his elation at being able to compete in the competition:
"It's gonna be amazing, you know. Growing up, I was watching the Champions League. I was able to stay up a little late on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, you know, to watch the game."
He added:
"And it has been a dream of mind to play there and now to do it with Arsenal at the Emirates, it's going to be fantastic, so just looking forward to it and hopefully we can do well."
Odegaard has been brilliant for the Gunners since his move from Real Madrid. He joined the club on a six-month loan in January 2021 before it was made permanent that summer.
The 24-year-old has scored 24 goals and provided 15 assists in 105 games for the north London side.
Martin Odegaard on expectations from Arsenal for the 2023-24 campaign
The Gunners surprised many last season as they competed for the Premier League title against Manchester City. They led the standings for 248 days but faltered at the end to finish second, winning just three of their last nine games.
Nevertheless, after their brilliant 2022-23 season, expectations are high from Arsenal for the upcoming season. Martin Odegaard, though, said that the team is isn't bothered by outside talk and is focused on their own preparation and performance, telling Sky Sports:
"There is always going to be talk and expectation, but our job is to stay focused on what we can control, which is performance, and what we can do every day in training to make sure we work hard and improve."
He added:
"It's a great group. There are a lot of hungry players and young players. That's the key for us, to keep working hard, to keep going and pushing every day to be better. People can say what they want and write what they want but our job is to stay focused."
Arsenal have made three huge signings this summer to strengthen their squad ahead of the next season, bringing in Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz.
