Freddie Ljungberg has admitted to Sky Sports that he doesn’t understand why Arsenal have signed Martin Odegaard.
Arsenal snapped up Odegaard on loan from Real Madrid in January, but there was no buy clause in the deal.
The Norwegian has since played a key role behind the striker for the Gunners, which has forced Emile Smith Rowe out wide.
And Ljungberg says that he is surprised that Arteta actually went through with the signing.
“I think Odegaard is a great player but if you have young players in the same position that you want to develop and take someone in on loan that you don’t have a buying options on, to develop for another club, I don’t understand 100%,” he said.
“If you want to go forward as a football club, it’s the young ones who are going to make a difference, they need games, and Emile doesn’t need to play as a winger.”
Smith Rowe may not have shown his best form from the left, but he was a constant menace in Arsenal’s last game.
The youngster stood out as Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-1, with his display arguably his best of recent times.
Odegaard also got on the scoresheet during the North London derby, which proves that the pair can play together.
And Arteta may actually have had a long term plan when it came to signing Odegaard anyway.
The Daily Mail are now reporting that Arsenal are ready to explore the possibility of doing a deal to bring Odegaard back to the Emirates Stadium, potentially on a permanent transfer.
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