Arsenal have completed the signing of Martin Odegaard on loan from Real Madrid until the end of the season.
The Gunners made the announcement in a statement released on their official website on Wednesday.
Odegaard, 22, made it clear he wanted to leave in January in order to play regular first-team football, having played just nine times in all competitions for Madrid this season.
Odegaard’s decision to move to the Premier League was aided by a chat with the Arsenal manager.
“I spoke to him (Arteta) before coming here, of course,” Odegaard told Arsenal’s website. “That was very important for me and he seems like a top manager and I liked his ideas, the way he sees football and also the way he is.
“He gave me a great feeling and that was important for me to come here. He was crucial.
“I think every time you go to a new place, you want to make sure that it feels good and that there is a plan. But I think everything here just seems good. I like the club and I always liked the way that the club wants to play. Everything about the club and now how the manager wants to play, I think it’s a club that really suits me well. So I think it’s a good match.”
Related: Odegaard Passes Arsenal Medical
Arteta said: “It’s great that we’ve secured Martin to come to us until the end of the season. Martin is of course a player that we all know very well and although still young, he has been playing at the top level for a while. Martin will provide us with quality offensive options and we’re all excited to be integrating him into our plans between now and May.”
Odegaard registered seven goals and nine assists across 36 appearances on loan at Sociedad last season, leading Madrid to cut short his two-year loan and make him part of their first-team squad.
He has also made 25 appearances for Norway, making his debut in August 2014 when he became the youngest debutant for his country’s senior national team at the age of just 15 years and 253 days.
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