Martin Odegaard explains decision to stay at Arsenal as huge new deal signed

Martin Odegaard discusses Arsenal's season so far

Martin Odegaard has put down roots for the next five years to end the nomadic lifestyle that could have destroyed his confidence. The Arsenal captain has been rewarded with a huge leap on his previous £120,000-a-week wages with a new deal which keeps him at the Emirates until 2028. And he finally feels he has found his long-term home.

The boy from Drammen, Norway, was a child prodigy. He trained with the Stromgodset first team as a 13-year-old, played for Norway at 15 and was signed by Real Madrid a year later. That was where the unsettled globetrotting began. He switched between Real and their reserve side Castilla before loan spells at Heerenveen, Vitesse and Real Sociedad.

“I was very young, he recalled. “I was stuck between the first and second teams, then I was moving around on loans here and there. So I never really got the time to settle down. There are moments when you maybe lose your confidence a little bit and you’re not in your best place and don’t perform as you want to.

“You have to focus on yourself, keep working hard and doing your thing. I think hard work always pays off. So I was pretty calm. Of course at some moments I was a bit disappointed, but I was calm and just kept on going. But I always kept that self belief and I was always sure I was going to turn things around.”

Things were different, though, the moment he set foot at London Colney, Arsenal’s training ground. “I felt at home here since the first day,” he said. “I was moving around a lot and struggling to really settle down, so I felt like I needed a place to find a home.

“Where I live is very calm, a bit like the countryside, and then you can go to central London and do other things like go for dinner or shopping or whatever. I’m not there too much, but where I live is very calm, close to the training ground, so it’s an easy life and I like it.”

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That calmness will be shattered on Sunday when Tottenham visit the Emirates for the north London derby. But the Arsenal captain will be ready for it.

“That’s a big one,” he said. “When I first came here I knew straight away going into that game that this was something special. You can just feel it at the training ground, on social media.

“Even though I try not to focus too much on social media, you still see it and feel it from the fans. It’s a special one and it’s a game we look forward to. It’s one of those games you really enjoy playing and it will be a nice one. To play here at home with the fans.”

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