“We must give him time to learn, to take his best decisions” - Cristiano Ronaldo’s opinion on Arsenal star resurfaces

Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo's old comments on Arsenal's Martin Odegaard

Cristiano Ronaldo's comments on Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard from 2015 have recently resurfaced.

Odegaard joined Real Madrid Castilla from Norwegian club Stromsgodset back in 2015. He even made his debut that year in a 7-3 La Liga win over Getafe where he replaced Ronaldo. It was one of his 11 senior appearances for Los Blancos.

The Portuguese forward was asked in 2015 to name five players in world football who have a great future. He picked Eden Hazard, Neymar Jr., Paul Pogba, Memphis Depay, and Odegaard. On Odegaard, he said on BT Sport (via Irish Mirror):

"You see many players with potential. I will mention Martin Odegaard of Madrid for example, at 16 he's still young but you can see he's a very good player.
"He's a great player, I think he's a young boy, he can still grow. He has a good future ahead. We must give him time to learn, to take his best decisions. But I see a lot of potential in the player, he has got a good left foot."

Odegaard failed to get regular playing time at Real Madrid, having had to compete with the likes of Luka Modric and Isco. He joined Arsenal on loan in January 2021 before the move was made permanent that summer.

The Norwegian midfielder has scored 31 goals and provided 19 assists in 128 games for the Gunners. He was also made club captain in the summer of 2022 following the departures of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.


West Ham United interested in signing Arsenal star

As per Football Insider (via Football365), West Ham United are interested in signing Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.

The Hammers are sixth in the Premier League standings but have scored the third least number of goals among the top 10 teams. They have scored 31 goals in 18 games, with striker Michail Antonio scoring just two of them. Hence, they are looking to sign a striker.

Arsenal, meanwhile, could be open to selling Nketiah if they receive an offer in the region of £40 million. The Englishman has scored six goals in 24 appearances across competitions this season.

The Gunners have been linked with a potential move for Brentford's Ivan Toney and Napoli's Victor Osimhen. However, to sign either of them, the north London side will need to raise funds and Nketiah could offer an opportunity for the same.

The Arsenal academy graduate has scored 38 goals and provided nine assists in 155 senior games for the club. His contract expires in 2027.

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