Footie Central | Football Blog Blogging the football world 
Arsenal want to keep Martin Ødegaard at the Emirates next season, either on another loan, or permanently if a deal can be done with his parent club Real Madrid.
The 22-year old playmaker joined the Gunners on loan from the Spanish league champions in January, and he has already impressed during his time at the Emirates.
He has enjoyed a big week as well. He has just been named Norwegian captain, and he scored his first goal for his adopted club in the Europa League against Olympiakos in Athens last Thursday.
Ødegaard then made himself an instant hero to the club’s fans by scoring the equaliser in the North London derby against Tottenham at the weekend.
Buying him outright may depend on how much money Mikel Arteta has to spend in the summer, and also what Real will want for him. The La Liga side may be open to sell him because they want to raise the funds to land their main transfer target, Kylian Mbappé.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.