Martin Odegaard signs new long-term Arsenal contract amid 'special' admission

Martin Odegaard has signed a new contract at Arsenal that will keep him in north London until 2028. The Gunners captain says that it was an «easy decision» to commit his long-term future to the club.

It sees Odegaard extend a journey that began with a loan spell from Real Madrid in the second half of the 2020/21 season. Prior to that he had endured something of a nomadic early career, enduring three separate loan spells away from Madrid after failing to be given a chance to demonstrate the potential that had seen the Spanish giants sign him at the age of just 16.

After impressing in the initial spell, Arsenal moved to make the deal permanent in the summer of 2021. Since then he has gone on to make 92 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 25 times. The Norwegian has also been the club captain for just over a season now, and was keen to continue at a club where he finally feels at home.

«It was an easy decision for me,» Odegaard revealed. «As I said many times, I felt connected and I felt at home here since the first day. And also I was moving around a lot and struggling to really settle down, so I felt like I needed a place to come and settle down and to kind of find a home. That’s what I did here and I felt it from the first day, so it was easy for me to commit. I’m also excited for what we’re doing now and for the future, so I’m really happy.

»In Madrid it was just a bit different. I was very young, I was stuck between the first and second teams, then I was moving around on loans here and there. So I never really got the time to settle down. At Arsenal I’ve always had this special feeling.

«Even before I came here, I remember playing FIFA and I was always Arsenal. I had a good feeling about the club and I brought myself here.