Having struggled to enjoy regular minutes at Real Madrid in the first half of the season, Martin Ødegaard asked the La Liga side to let him go out on loan in the winter market.
Arsenal pounced on the opportunity and took the midfielder on a temporary deal until the end of the season.
The 22-year-old has made 11 appearances in the league and six more in the Europa League, and his performances have convinced the north London club.
Arsenal don’t have the option to extend the Norwegian’s stay beyond this season, but that didn’t stop Mikel Arteta from publicly expressing his desire to keep Ødegaard at the Emirates in April.
Gunners hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League were dashed after being knocked out of the Europa League at the hands of Villarreal.
Norway’s TV2 also spoke to the Spaniard and asked if he wants to prioritise signing Ødegaard in the next market.
Responding to that, he said: “We will talk about it when the right time comes. But what I can say is that I am very happy with Martin.”
Arsenal are likely to face difficulties to retain the player because the Spanish press have stressed Real Madrid have no plans to sell Ødegaard.
