Martin Odegaard finally feels ready to put down roots and make his Arsenal stay a long-term one.
There was a time when an image of the Gunners skipper speaking to Jurgen Klopp sparked serious fears of a move to Liverpool. But with Arsenal now seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table, there are few more appealing options than playing under Mikel Arteta.
And Odegaard admits it would take something truly special to prise him away from the Emirates, despite supporting Liverpool in his younger years.
“There is not much that can lure me away from here. I have a very good time here,” Odegaard told NRK. “The way it is now, I can see myself being here for several years.
“I want to do something special here. Take part in shaping the club and winning things. That is the big goal. The plan is certainly to be here for a while.
“I’ve moved a lot over the years. Landing a bit and feeling like I’m in a place where I’m going to be, that’s a good feeling. Hopefully I will be here for many years.”
He added: “When I came here, I really felt at home from day one. I was received very well, everything was very natural. I felt like part of the team and the group from the start, so it felt very good to come here.
“Very nice people in the club. People who care about you and who really want you to succeed. Who really tries to do their part for you to succeed. And who have a bit of the same passion that I have, I feel, to really get better and work on things then. It was a good match right away.”
The Norwegian has played a key role in Arsenal’s brilliant first half of the season, which has fans dreaming of a first title since 2004. Liverpool could still prove to be in the reckoning come May and Klopp is full of admiration for a player he attempted to sign as a teenager.
Speaking earlier this year, the Liverpool boss said: "I really like him. It's easy these days. It was a bit more difficult at the start of his career when he was at Real Madrid. Then it looked like it might not go his way. I was really disappointed by that because we wanted him in Dortmund when he was very young.
"We had a long conversation when he was still a boy, together with his father. In the end, he decided on Madrid, and that's fine, but that's why I've always followed him."
Klopp continued: "I'm really happy that he has now become the player we all expected him to become. In fact, even better than that, if you will. He plays a massive role in an incredibly strong Arsenal team.
"He's still young, clear in his head, very influential. I honestly can't say anything negative about him. Really a top player."
