Arsenal brought in Martin Odegaard on a short-term loan deal from Real Madrid this summer and steadily, the 22-year-old has managed to get a regular spot in the starting XI.
This development has forced academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe to somewhat fall down the pecking order in recent weeks and according to Paul Merson, if the Gunners cannot sign Martin Odegaard on a permanent deal in the summer then Smith Rowe’s progress would have taken a huge hit.
‘Martin Odegaard looks a really good player and I hope Arsenal have a chance of signing him permanently,’ Merson told Starsport.
‘Because if they don’t have a chance of making his loan permanent next season, why is he playing? If they know he doesn’t want to stay, he shouldn’t be playing because he’s taking opportunities away from people like Emile Smith Rowe.
‘So I hope Arsenal have done their homework and know what the situation is – I’d be disappointed if they haven’t already made a bid to be honest! It took him a while to adjust but you have to give him the ball. He gets into lots of good positions, and to start with his team-mates weren’t seeing him.
‘They weren’t giving him the ball. But now he’s getting it more often and he’s making things happen. He can hurt opposing teams.
‘It’s almost a free role and for someone so young to be trusted with such a difficult position at such a young age is a big deal. But if he’s okay after his injury and he helps Arsenal win the Europa League, Real Madrid will probably want him back – or add a lot more money to his asking price.’
In and around the turn of the year, Emile Smith Rowe was getting constant starts in the Premier League for Arsenal but slowly, his game time has been drying up and in the 3-3 draw vs West Ham United, he only managed 17 minutes.
It’s pretty clear that Arteta prefers to use Martin Odegaard in the attacking midfielder’s role but like Merson said, if Arsenal are unable to sign the Norwegian on a permanent deal then it will be a major disaster for the North London side.
Recent reports are claiming that clubs like Liverpool and PSG are keen to land the Real Madrid man meaning there’s a big chance that Odegaard might not remain at the Emirates beyond the summer.
And if ends up happening then it will be really harsh for someone like Emile Smith Rowe who was growing in leaps in bounds just a couple of months ago.
