“This was the perfect club for me” – Arsenal star opens up on Emirates switch

Former Real Madrid youngster Martin Odegaard believes that leaving Spain to join Premier League club Arsenal was the right decision. The Norwegian also said that Arsenal is the "perfect club" for him.

The 23-year-old joined Real Madrid in 2015 from Norwegian club Stromsgodset. Odegaard initially joined Castilla, which is Los Blancos' reserves team, where he played 62 games.

In the six years he was with Real Madrid, Odegaard managed to play just 11 games in the senior team. Hence, he finally made the decision to join Arsenal for a better future and regular game time. He joined the Gunners on loan in January 2021 and the deal was made permanent in the summer.

Speaking to Norwegian media via Play Football, Odegaard said:

“I feel like it was the right choice when things were the way they were in Madrid. I signed when I was 16 and now was the right time to look to the future. I thought this was the perfect club for me.”

Odegaard initially took time to settle at the Emirates Stadium and adapt to the English style of football. He has now gradually assimilated with the club's DNA and has gained the trust of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners finished eighth in the Premier League last season, missing out on any European competition for the first time in over two decades. Currently, they sit in fourth position. Odegaard believes that Arsenal will soon be the top team in the Premier League because of the young team which has talent and hunger to win titles.

Speaking to the press after Arsenal's 5-1 win over Sunderland in the quarter-finals of the EFL cup on Tuesday, Odegaard said:

"We are a team that is rising in a big club that belongs at the top. I feel that we are on a good path to achieve that. What we have done lately is very promising. We are a hungry group of lads that want to establish the team at the top again. It feels good to be here and I think what we are doing now is very good."

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Martin Odegaard believes Mikel Arteta will take Arsenal to new heights

Martin Odegaard has said that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has a clear plan to take Arsenal to new heights. He stated gaffer has a clear plan which is pretty evident in the signings he has made since his arrival at the club. The London-based club have made huge investments in bringing in young and talented footballers, the most by any Premier League club this season. This includes the likes of Nuno Tavares, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Sambi Lokonga, and more.

Further through the interaction with the press, Odegaard added:

"I think both the team and the gaffer have a clear strategy when they have brought players in. If you look at the players that we have brought in now, there are many young players, like myself that want to move up and forward. But it is the best players that should play, so I don’t think that he thinks too much about [age] when he picks the team.''