Martin Odegaard outlines next ambition after signing new long-term Arsenal deal
Martin Odegaard grew up imagining playing for Arsenal - and now his “big dream” is about lifting a trophy as captain.
Odegaard has committed himself to a new long term deal with the club who he admits were always his team when he played the FIFA computer game. Arsenal skipper Odegaard is in the form of his life, it is hard to think of many better players in his position in Europe right now but the Norway midfielder is only thinking about trophies.
Odegaard, 24, said: “Of course, I am thinking about it. That is the big dream, the big goal, to win things with the club. That’s why I have signed here as well, because I believe we can achieve some great things. That’s the big goal and I am sure if we work hard, we can get to something really nice.
“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.
“As I said many times, I felt connected and I felt at home here since the first day. I felt like I needed a place to come and settle down and to kind of find a home.
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“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.”
Odegaard was the original wonderkid who made his debut for Strømsgodset aged 15, joined Real Madrid at 16, found home in London at 22 and is now realising his full potential.
Mikel Arteta has restored belief into his squad, Arsenal went so close to winning last season but there is no doubt in Odegaard’s mind that they will lift trophies under his watch, especially with the squad improving all the time.
Odegaard said: “People want to be here as part of the project. What we’re doing is really special and the players see what the manager wants to do and how the club is progressing, the connection we now have with the fans. I think it’s a no-brainer for the players to be part of that. With so many hungry young players, it’s a great place to be.
Martin Odegaard said it was an easy decision to continue the project alongside Mikel Arteta“Even though we’re a young team, you can see the quality, the responsibility the players take. Experience is not just about age. It’s also about what you’ve done. I think the young players we have already have a lot of experience.
“All the players want the same thing, they want to stay for a long time and really fight for the club and win things together. It shows the family feeling we have.”
Odegaard admitted it was a huge honour to be made captain, paid tribute to Arteta for developing his game while he also insists that there is still much more to come from him as a player.
“I feel like I am improving all the time and learning all the time,” said Odegaard who scored 15 goals last season and insists that he is ready to embrace higher expectation levels on him and the team.
"It’s a natural thing in football. Expectations always go up if you perform. I personally enjoy that pressure. I like to have it. No matter the pressure from outside, I will always put more on myself. I think the team all enjoy the pressure.
“Of course I want to improve and I want to be better than last year, but I don’t have a certain number of goals I want to reach. The main thing is to help the team improve and create more.
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“I just knew straight away that he (Arteta) was a great manager and I wanted to work with him. I’m still learning new things every day in training. He’s amazing.”
Odegaard also knows the importance of Sunday’s North London derby and what it means. He added: “That’s a big one. I think when I first came here I knew straight away going into that game that this was something special. You can just feel it at the training ground, on social media.
“Even though I try not to focus too much on social media, you still see it and feel it from the fans. It’s a special one and it's a game we look forward to, to play here at home with the fans. It’s one of those games you really enjoy playing and it will be a nice one.”
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