Interview

Odegaard - Why Arteta was crucial to my decision

There has been a lot of speculation in the media in recent days over the importance of a phone call Mikel Arteta made to Martin Odegaard to convince him to join us.

So what is the truth of it? And what did our manager say to our newest loan signing?

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"I spoke to him before coming here, of course," Odegaard told Arsenal.com. "That was very important for me and he seems like a top manager and I liked his ideas, the way he sees football and also the way he is. 

"He gave me a great feeling and that was important for me to come here. He was crucial.

"I think every time you go to a new place, you want to make sure that it feels good and that there is a plan. But I think everything here just seems good. 

"I like the club and I always liked the way that the club wants to play. Everything about the club and now how the manager wants to play, I think it's a club that really suits me well. So I think it's a good match."