Arsenal’s captain, Martin Odegaard, renewed his contract for another five years.
The 24-year-old Norwegian midfielder has been a key contributor for the Gunners, with 27 goals and 15 assists in 112 games.
Odegaard signed with the club permanently from Real Madrid in August 2021 for over £30 million, following a loan.
In the Premier League last year, he played in 37 of Arsenal’s 38 games, helping Mikel Arteta’s team finish second to Manchester City and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in six years.
“Signing a new contract was a really easy decision for me for a lot of reasons,” Odegaard said.
“Most importantly, I want to be a part of the club because I think what we are doing right now is really cool.
I can’t wait to see what happens next. I now feel like I’ve found a place I can call home.
Odegaard has committed to Arsenal till the end of the 2027-28 season. He is also the captain of the Norwegian national team and has won 53 caps.
He has three goals in seven games for Arsenal this season, including a great one on Wednesday in a 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven that marked the club’s return to Europe’s best club competition.
The signing of Martin to a long-term contract has been welcomed by all at Arsenal, as stated by manager Mike Arteta.
“He leads by example and is a true professional in every aspect of the club, bringing a high level of skill and maturity to the position of captain.
It’s terrific that after experiencing a variety of teams early in his career, Martin is finally established and feels at home at Arsenal. Working with Martin, both as a person and a player, is an absolute joy for me as a manager. In the years to come, we all hope to have Martin by our side once again.
After moving to Arsenal from Madrid two years ago, the club’s current best player signed a four-year contract with an additional year of free agency.
In 2015, at the age of 16, he became Real Madrid’s youngest player when he transferred from Norwegian club Stromsgodset.
At the tender age of 15 years and 253 days, he made his international debut for Norway in a friendly match against the United Arab Emirates.
After struggling to adapt at the Bernabeu, Odegaard spent time on loan with Dutch clubs Heerenveen and Vitesse, as well as Spanish side Real Sociedad, before making his way to north London in January 2021.
Odegaard speculated that his tale might be unique because he has played for several clubs since he was 16 years old.
Since my first day here, I’ve felt right at home at Arsenal.
I’d like to express my gratitude to the entire club staff and to all of our amazing fans. I’m committed to doing everything it takes to help our team succeed in the future.
Edu, the sporting director at Arsenal, said, “Martin is still only 24 years old, so there is still much more to come from him, and we are delighted that we will be together in the coming years.”
Our goal is to keep our top players, so it’s great that we’ve been able to sign Martin and several other key young players to new long-term contracts in recent months.
Arsenal have signed several players to long-term contracts this year, including attacker Bukayo Saka of England and defender William Saliba as well as goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and midfielder Reiss Nelson.
Arsenal spent £105 million on English midfielder Declan Rice, £65 million on German midfielder Kai Havertz, and £7 million on a season-long loan for Spain’s David Raya to bolster their roster this summer.
