Speaking on the Here We Go Podcast, Fabrizio Romano has detailed what Mikel Arteta told Martin Odegaard in the phone call that convinced him to join Arsenal.
It had been reported that a direct call between Arteta and Odegaard was the turning point in the Norwegian choosing the Gunners over Real Sociedad, and now we know the gist of what was said.
Indeed, we didn’t get verbatim quotes from Romano here, but he shared the main points of what Arteta said to the midfielder.
“He was really one step away from joining Real Sociedad,” Romano said.
“But then when Arsenal called him, Arteta told him ‘here you can have some space, game time, new league, joining the Premier League can also change your value, you can prove your skills in a top league in the Premier League, you will be playing for an important club with important players, so it’s better than going to Real Sociedad where you have been a star, but this is a different level.’”
We know how important this call was from Odegaard’s perspective as he commented on it not long after joining the club.
“I spoke to him before coming here, of course,” Odegaard told Arsenal.com. “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.
This is great to see from Arteta, and it’s really another string to his bow of managerial talents, and the fact that he’s been able to convince a player of Odegaard’s talents is a testament to how attractive his project is at the Emirates.
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