Well, Martin Odegaard is just getting better and better for Arsenal.
Early on it looked like he might struggle to adapt to the speed and physicality of English football but since joining the Gunners on a half-season loan from Real Madrid, the 22-year-old has only improved.
He is getting so good, in fact, that quite a lot of Arsenal fans are calling for a permanent deal to be done this summer.
The Norway international gave some generic, non-committal answers when asked about his long-term future a little earlier this week, but it has been reported that Odegaard is a big fan of Mikel Arteta and would be open to the idea of staying at the Emirates Stadium beyond the end of this loan.
But Tim Sherwood has told Optus Sport that Arsenal’s chances of signing him outright might hinge on whether they qualify for the Champions League.
The North Londoners are ninth in the Premier League table and nine points behind fourth-placed Chelsea as things stand, but winning the Europa League would secure the club’s return to Europe’s top table and that, according to Sherwood, may be their best chance of signing him.
He said: “I think they would love to sign him if they possibly could. I would definitely sign him. I think Odegaard might only come to Arsenal if they finish in the Champions League, which means they need to win the Europa League.”
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