A brilliant piece of business from Arsenal in the summer of 2021 has paid-off huge ransoms for the Gunners now, on the pitch. The £30m signing of Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid is in discussion here, which in today’s time is a massive bargain. The playmaker has impressed heavily at the Emirates in so less time, that manager Mikel Arteta even conferred him with the captain’s armband at the start of the 22/23 season.
Arsenal are now looking to reward the Norwegian with a salary hike, which would almost double his wages at the club in order to keep a potential interest from their rivals Liverpool away. Odegaard has proved his mettle in the Premier League, where outsiders often find it difficult to adjust, so outstandingly that it was bound to attract interest from other heavyweights of the league. Liverpool, according to SPORTbible, are one of the frontrunners to launch a surprise move for the Arsenal captain.
Odegaard’s Liverpool teasing has got Arsenal on its toes
At the moment, its out of question that Martin Odegaard leaves Arsenal, who are fighting for the Premier League trophy, for Liverpool, who are struggling for Champions League qualification as they sit sixth in the league. Moreover, its the 24-year-old’s strong bond with the North Londoners and its supporters which further ensures he is here to stay for a long, long time.
However, Arsenal want to confirm that by rewarding him a new deal, with incredibly increased wages. Odegaard is currently on a payroll of £5.3m per-year in North London, but a new contract planned by Arsenal would see his salary hiked to £8.8 million per-year, almost double of what he pockets now. This is reportedly a tactic by the club to make their captain feel valued and reject interest from the likes of Liverpool.
Odegaard was a masterstroke from Arsenal, who made his loan which they had agreed for the second half of the 20/21 season, permanent in the summer of 2021 for a mere £30m. Since then, Odegaard has went on to score 16 goals and provide 12 assists across his 82 appearances for the club. However, back in December, he was asked whether he would move to Liverpool, a club he supported as a boy, Odegaard had more of a clumsy reply where he admitted it would take something ‘special’ from Liverpool to lure him. He told Norwegian broadcaster NRK
“There is not much that can lure me away from here [Arsenal]. I have a very good time here. The way it is now, I can see myself being here for several years. I want to do something special here. Take part in shaping the club and winning things. That is the big goal. The plan is certainly to be here for a while.
“Very nice people in the club. People who care about you and who really want you to succeed. Who really tries to do their part for you to succeed. And who have a bit of the same passion that I have, I feel, to really get better and work on things then. It was a good match right away.”
Odegaard’s is locked in by Arsenal on deal which runs until the summer of 2025. Although its still two-and-a-half-years to his contract to expire, their urge to tie him down to another long-term deal, with improved wages is justified given the very epicentre he has become of Arteta’s project at the club alongside the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba who are also in line to be rewarded with new, improved deals.