Martin Odegaard’s Arsenal Transfer Declaration Shouldn’t Be So Divisive

Arsenal are reportedly inclined to offload a superstar this summer to combat financial regulations.

Martin Ødegaard has a contract with Arsenal until 2028. | Dennis Agyeman/Europa Press/Getty Images

Martin Ødegaard dismissed any whispers of a move away from Arsenal, insisting that his “mindset” remains firmly focused on the here and now.

The Gunners have been tipped to make a marquee sale this summer to balance several successive years of hefty expenditure. Since Arteta’s first full season six years ago, Arsenal have amassed a gross spend in the region of $980 million (£850 million), a swollen sum only two clubs on the planet (Chelsea and Manchester United) can surpass.

During this same period, Arsenal’s most expensive sale was the 2024 departure of academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe for a modest $39.8 million. In the modern world of extensive financial regulations, the Gunners are expected to offload at least one superstar, with many pointing towards Ødegaard as the most desirable departee.

Not that the player is thinking of going anywhere.

“I don’t know where that’s coming from,” Ødegaard shrugged when confronted with reports of his potential exit. “My mindset is just about doing what I can every single day to do something special.

“There’s always going to be talk and people speculating, and I guess that’s normal in football, but it’s not something I know anything about.”

This inspired a sense of dissatisfaction among some sections of the Arsenal fanbase who have long since dismissed the qualities of player-branded “OhDearGaard.” In reality, Ødegaard should be among the last assets the club allow to be pried away.

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Odegaard Is the Solution to Arsenal’s Biggest Problem

Martin Ødegaard is Arsenal’s most skillful player. | Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Despite still having it within their power to win a first-ever Premier League-Champions League double for the club, this particular iteration of Arteta’s Arsenal have very obvious flaws. Beyond the intangible talk of mentality minnows, the team’s biggest problem is a simple lack of technical quality. Ødegaard emphatically bucks that trend.

Thanks to countless hours spent on his local pitches soaking up every piece of wisdom imparted by his father, a former professional soccer player himself, Ødegaard can operate in the types of tight spaces that constrict so many of his teammates.

“These days, when you see me turn away from a defender, using that touch and quick reading of the game, that’s the sports hall. That’s my dad,” he would later reflect.

Statistic (Open Play)	Ødegaard Value (per 90)	Premier League Rank
Assists	4 (0.29)	6th
Expected Assists	3.0 (0.22)	8th
Chances Created	29 (2.1)	3rd
Through Balls	19. (1.4)	2nd

Stats via Opta. Correct as of April 29, 2026.

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This deftness of touch is spelled out on the stats sheet. Ødegaard continues to rank among the Premier League elite across all creative aspects—most pertinently in terms of through balls played. This deceptively difficult part of the game is where the division’s best lock pickers rise to the fore, finding a way to tease apart the tight stitching of opposition rearguards which so readily form in the Premier League.

Ødegaard is one of only three players across the entire league to average more than one through ball per 90 minutes. It is an illustrious trio. Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, who is gunning for the all-time single-season assist record, and Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki, the supposed savior of modern soccer, make for favorable company.

Neither Manchester clubs would entertain the prospect of jettisoning their creative gems, and there is absolutely no reason why Arsenal should either. Fortunately, if Ødegaard has a say in the matter, he won’t be going anywhere.

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