Martin Odegaard claims Cesc Fabregas is his Arsenal hero

Follow us on Google Discover

Arsenal tied up an exciting signing on Wednesday, as they confirmed the arrival of playmaker Martin Odegaard.

The Gunners have seen Emile Smith Rowe thrive of late, but have decided to bring in another playmaker just to ease the pressure on him.

Odegaard arrives on loan from Real Madrid until the end of the season, meaning he joins fellow Real loanee Dani Ceballos at the Emirates Stadium.

Odegaard impressed on loan at Real Soceidad last season, bagging seven goals and nine assists for the La Liga side before heading back to Real.

Arsenal fans will hope to see some creativity from Odegaard having finalised his move, and he seemingly has a rather controversial Gunners hero.

Odegaard has told Arsenal’s official website that he loved a number of Arsenal players growing up, but especially Cesc Fabregas, who was a favourite of Arsene Wenger for many years.

Fabregas pushed for a move away from Arsenal in 2011 and then joined bitter rivals Chelsea in 2014, which didn’t go down too well with some Gunners fans.

Still, Odegaard says he ‘especially’ loved Fabregas, praising his control of the game, creativity and goal threat, admitting that he tried to learn as much as he could from watching the Spaniard – meaning Arsenal may have inadvertently landed themselves another Fabregas, if Odegaard can truly emulate his Arsenal hero.

“In Norway, the Premier League is really big,” said Odegaard. “Since I was a little kid there, we always watched all the games, me and my friends. I think it’s the biggest league, especially in Norway, so for me it’s always been a dream to play in the Premier League and I always liked the way Arsenal played and everything about the club. So it’s a dream come true in many ways.”

“There were a lot [of Arsenal players I admired]. But I think Fabregas, for me, was one of my idols when I grew up. So especially him. The way he controls the game, the way he dictated the game, his ability to give assists and also score goals. Everything about his game. I tried to learn as much as possible when I grew up watching him. He was the top player,” he added.