Mikel Arteta already hopes Martin Odegaard will stay at Arsenal beyond loan

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has already said it is possible for Martin Odegaard to stay at the Emirates Stadium beyond his initial loan from Real Madrid because he is the exact type of player the Gunners have been looking for in his position.

Odegaard has joined Arsenal on a short-term deal until the end of the season, an arrangement expected to cost the club around £2.8m in a loan fee and wages. But there is no option to secure his signature permanently, so any transfer at that stage will have to negotiated with Real.

“He certainly has all the qualities and characteristics that we are looking for, for that position,” Arteta said as he addressed the media, via Arsenal.com.

“Then [staying] will be down to two things. First of all, how well he adapts here and how much of an impact he can have in our team. Secondly, what Real Madrid and the player think about it because he's owned by Real Madrid and the player has a big say in that too.”

Odegaard wanted to leave Madrid because he wasn’t getting the game time he thought he would when his parent club cut short his previous loan at Real Sociedad last summer.

"He's a player that we followed for some time and we believe that he's got some special qualities that we have been missing,” Arteta said.

“I've followed him very closely because he played for Real Sociedad, which is my hometown. I know him really well. I've been really impressed. He's a such a talent. He needs the right environment, he needs a little bit of time but I think he's got the qualities to be a success for us.”

Discussing the role Odegaard will play for Arsenal, Arteta went on to explain: “He's a specialist to play in the pockets, to play in the No. 8 or 10 positions. He can play off the sides. He's a really creative player who's really comfortable on the ball in tight spaces. He has the capacity to create chances and to score goals.

“Something that he has improved a lot is his work-rate without the ball as well, so it's another option to give us more creativity for sure in the final third, and give us more options to set up in different ways against certain teams.”

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