Martin Odegaard has revealed it is ‘nice and easy’ to thrive at Arsenal because of the positive atmosphere in the club’s dressing room.
The midfielder made the permanent switch to the Emirates in the summer, having spent the second half of last season on loan with Mikel Arteta’s side.
He’s quickly established himself as a key player for Arsenal since arriving, providing them with the creative force they’d been missing in midfield.
His situation is a far cry from the one he was living at Real Madrid, the club he joined as a youngster in a highly publicised moved back in 2015.
The Norwegian never really established himself at the Bernabeu, instead spending most of his time away from the club on various loan deals.
He had hoped to return from a successful spell with Real Sociedad and be a first-team player last season, only for Zinedine Zidane to continue to overlook him, hence the move to Arsenal.
That remained the case with Ancelotti this summer, paving the way for the permanent move to the Emirates instead.
Things are now much rosier for the 22-year-old, and he says that’s because of the positive atmosphere in the dressing room.
“Of course, there were many tough periods. I experienced a lot with both the first team and the second team,” he told TV2 regarding his time in Madrid.
“I have been close to the best and biggest. It made me stronger. I feel I have grown a lot on it.
“There were some tough periods, but also a lot of good that I have experienced. Being so close to the best in the world is special. I have learned a lot from it.
“When you are at the highest level, it is not as easy to make friends and that kind of thing.
“At least not when you are young and come from somewhere else. It can be tough at times. But it has made me stronger and I am very happy and satisfied to have experienced it.
“It’s (Arsenal’s dressing room) quite large, I would say. I think it’s a bit like that in the biggest clubs. It gets a little more scattered and all that.
“I’m very happy where I am now, a very nice squad and a good bunch. It’s nice and easy to thrive.”
