Norway’s national team captain just signed a new five-year contract that binds him to Arsenal until the summer of 2028. In a long interview with the club’s website, the Norwegian talks about how he thrives off the pitch, and the drummer makes no secret of the fact that he is in a good place right now. – They will be shocked In the interview, Ødegaard says that he enjoys being with the other Arsenal players and reveals that they are often curious about what it is actually like to live in one of the northernmost countries in the world. – The players ask me about life in Norway. What most people seem to believe about Norway is that it is always cold! They are shocked when I tell them that it is hot in the summer, and that I like to spend my summers there. That’s what we talk about most often, to be honest, says Ødegaard to Arsenal.com. Martin Ødegaard is captain and top scorer at Arsenal, but he is not a car mechanic. Hanging out with Elneny and Saka The Arsenal captain says that there are two players in particular he spends a lot of time with off the field, Mohamed Elneny and Bukayo Saka. – Bukayo lives quite close to me, so we meet to watch football or things like that, we are friends off the pitch too, he says. Ødegaard points out that it is difficult to name names, because he clicks well with most people in the club. Team cohesion, both with the players, the support staff and the staff at the club, is highlighted by the Norwegian as an absolutely necessary success factor for all teams. And in Arsenal, this unity is something quite special, he believes. – We have quite a few gatherings, barbecue evenings with the team and things like that, and people bring their children and wives, so everyone knows each other’s families too. I think that is very important for building a team. There is a good spirit in the whole club now, he says. GOOD UNION: Martin Ødegaard highlights the good unity in Arsenal. Here with goalkeeper David Raya. Photo: JOHN SIBLEY / Reuters – He is loved by everyone He particularly points to manager Mikel Arteta’s ability to create unity, and reveals that the team had to take part in some very funny “team building exercises” when the team was at a training camp in the USA before the season. Then they divided the team into small groups, and the task was to make film trailers about Arsenal. Ødegaard says he loves that exercise, and at the same time reveals that some of the trailers went quite well. The Norwegian himself receives a lot of praise for the way he contributed to Arsenal both on and off the pitch. Manager Mikel Arteta is delighted that the Norwegian has signed a new long-term contract with the red shirts. – This is good news for the club and the team. I am really happy for him. This just shows that there are many ways to get ahead and up. He is loved by everyone, said Arteta at a press conference. SATISFIED: Mikel Arteta is delighted that the captain has signed a new contract. Photo: PAUL ELLIS / AFP – Ødegaard has refuted those Simon Collings, who has covered Arsenal for the newspaper Evening Standard since the 2019/2020 season, believes that Ødegaard has come in and taken the captain’s role at Arsenal with stoic calm, even though there were several critical voices when Arteta first appointed him to it. – I think there was doubt because Arsenal have struggled with the captain’s role in recent years. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had the captain’s armband, but was stripped of it. Then there was the incident with Granit Xhaka, who lost the captain’s armband after getting into a conflict with the fans. There was a fear that the captain’s armband weighed down the players. But Ødegaard has disproved that theory, says Collings to news. He pays tribute to Ødegaard for the way he has taken new steps in the big club. – He is a captain in the image of Mikel Arteta, this in that he is excellent on the training field, a good communicator and fully focused on football. He respects the players because he leads by example, says Collings. – Definitely my home. He is appreciated for that. According to The Athletic, the contract extension makes the Norwegian Arsenal’s highest paid player. – My story is perhaps a little different from others, since I have moved around to different clubs since I was 16 years old. Since the first day I came here, I have felt good at Arsenal, and this is definitely my home now, says Ødegaard in a statement. Next week, Ødegaard travels to a national team meeting with Norway, where matches against Cyprus and Spain await. But first he will play a top game in the Premier League against Manchester City and Erling Braut Haaland. That match will be played on Sunday at 17.30 and can be followed on news Sport on radio and Viaplay on TV. 104-year-old wants to become the world’s oldest skydiver – here she jumps 00:34 Hovland with hole-in-one – photos courtesy of Viaplay 01:16 Watch cup match from own roof 00:45 Harviken dissolved in tears after being “scapegoated” 00:58 Show more
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