Martin Odegaard, the captain of Arsenal, has signed a new contract, giving fans an early gift before the north London derby.
The 24-year-old has pledged his future to the Emirates until 2028, following his performance against PSV in the Champions League that earned him man of the match honors.
And after signing his new long-term contract in north London, Odegaard, who was scheduled to become a free agent in 2025, was all praise for manager Mikel Arteta.
According to Odegaard, who was reported by The Sun, I’ve felt at home here since my very first day at Arsenal, making this decision was quite simple for him.
The first time I spoke to Mikel Arteta, I knew he was a great coach and that I wanted to work with him.
I was immediately convinced by all the things he said to me about what he wanted to do with the team, how he wanted to play, how he saw my qualities and how he saw me fitting into his system.
He is so smart. He sees so many details you don’t even think about.
He’s capable of making you understand football in a different way because the way he explains everything makes sense.
And the fact that so many players have agreed new contracts just shows what we are doing as a club.
People want to be here as part of the project because what we are doing is really special and with so many hungry young players, it’s a great place to be.
In an interview with Arsenal’s website, Arteta was as gushing about Odegaard, whom he had appointed as the team’s captain the previous summer.
Martin securing a new, long-term contract is fantastic news for everyone associated with Arsenal, he said.
He is our captain, a well regarded member of our team, a fantastic professional role model, and brings excellence and maturity to all he does.
As everyone has witnessed, Martin is a talented young athlete who consistently performs at a very high level on the field.
Working with Martin as a person and a player is an absolute joy for me as a manager, and it’s great that after moving around a lot during his career, he is now happy and feels at home at Arsenal.
We are all forward to travel further with Martin in the upcoming years.
Odegaard has had an incredible start to the season and will captain his squad against rival Tottenham on Sunday.
Prior to the start of the 2017 Premier League season, he won his first trophy with the club, the Community Shield, while contributing with three goals in seven games across all competitions.
Since turning his temporary loan from Real Madrid into a permanent stay in 2021 for £34 million, the Norway captain has wowed supporters.
After Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, and Reiss Nelson all extended their stays this summer, he is the most recent Arsenal player to do so.
