Alan Hutton has stated he “would not be surprised” if Martin Odegaard was to leave Arsenal amid Paris Saint-Germain interest, admitting he would “never say never” despite the fact he “can’t see it at this moment in time”.
Odegaard is clearly rated very highly at the Emirates, and that he was given the captaincy reinforces that. His performances this season have shown why Mikel Arteta has so much faith in him.
Indeed, his 15 goals made him joint-top scorer this season, alongside forward players Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. Odegaard also provided eight assists – more than everyone barring Saka.
Given he was a driving force in the Gunners’ title push and eventual second-placed finish, it’s not hard to see why big sides are keen on snaring him. PSG are the leading contenders, having made ‘surprise soundings’.
That begs the question, were Arsenal to be approached for Odegaard, would he favour a move away? While former Premier League player Hutton feels it’s too soon, given the exciting project at the Emirates, he can see big-club interest potentially turning his head.
“I would never say never in football, stranger things have happened,” Hutton told Football Insider.
“At this moment in time I can’t see it. Everything will depend on the wages, structure, how much they are looking for.
“I just think where he is at this moment in time, the captain, they are in the Champions League, they want to move forward. Arteta looks like a sound manager so they will want to build on that in the future and Odegaard is a main part of that.
“I think it would be a bit early to go somewhere else but then I would not be surprised. Football is football, it throws up some strange things.”
It shouldn’t be a surprise if someone of the calibre of Odegaard was to look favourably on a move to a massive side like PSG. However, the project at Arsenal should be enough for him to stay put.
The Premier League is a competitive one, and having fought for the title for a season, he could be part of a side that does it much more in the coming years. He’s also going to be playing in the Champions League next term.
With that being said, while PSG could offer him almost a definite shot at silverware, given how dominant they almost always are in Ligue 1, the rest of what they could give him is comparable to what he already has with the Gunners.
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