Official: Arsenal complete the signing of Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard

At last Arsenal have finally confirmed that the Gunners have signed Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid and he has been given the No 8 shirt.

Mikel Arteta made it clear at the end of last season that the return of Odegaard was his highest priority and an integral part of his rebuilding process.

It will be very interesting to see if Odegaard could line up alongside Emile Smith-Rowe or whether they could play alongside each other behind our main striker (whoever that may be). Arteta obviously thinks that Odegaard fits his new system perfectly, and along with the rest of our new signings, this will be the year that Arteta has to prove he can take the Gunners back to the top.

22-year-old Norwegian playmaker Martin Odegaard spent the second half of last season on loan at Arsenal, scoring two goals in 20 appearances for the north London club.

He then returned to Madrid and was hoping to get a chance under Carlo Ancelotti this season, but the Norwegian has now returned to back to the Emirates Stadium on a permanent basis.

The clubs have agreed a deal in the region of £30million for the attacking midfielder, who may be in contention to feature in Arsenal’s rivals Chelsea on Sunday.

Odegaard joined Madrid as a 16-year-old in January 2015 from Stromsgodset in his homeland and later spent two seasons on loan at Heerenveen, before temporary stints with Vitesse Arnhem, Real Sociedad and Arsenal.

The Norwegian’s arrival would bolster Mikel Arteta’s options, having so far brought in Ben White, Nuno Tavares and Albert Sambi Lokonga this summer.

The transfer is subject to the completion of regulatory processes and visa requirements. Martin will not be available for Sunday’s match with Chelsea, and we await visa clearance before he will be available for selection.