Arsenal will pay a fee of nearly $2.5 million to take Martin Odegaard on loan for the remainder of the 2020-21 season. Furthermore, the agreement between Arsenal and Real Madrid will not include an option to make the transfer permanent at the conclusion of the deal — something of a bitter pill for the Gunners to swallow, as Odegaard effectively becomes a stop-gap solution to a longer-term problem.
Given the fact Odegaard will arrive and join a new team halfway through the season — let alone the fact he plays the position which requires the most precise timing and an almost telepathic understanding with his fellow attacking teammates — the 22-year-old Norwegian no. 10 will likely struggle to make a massive impact in just six months at Arsenal.
An 18-month loan, with the first half-season used largely as an integration period would almost certainly allow all parties to reap the greatest rewards.
Of course, Arsenal and Real Madrid could eventually extend or re-up the deal for a second season — just as they did for Dani Ceballos — though doing so would massively hinder 20-year-old academy product, and recent standout, Emile Smith Rowe’s path to first-team minutes for even longer.