£72m star “wants to go to Arsenal” in blow for Odegaard

Last summer, after Liverpool lifted the Premier League, they tried to initiate a spending spree that would create a dynasty. It failed, but Arsenal believe they are positioned to lead the pack for many years to come.

After years of toil under Mikel Arteta’s management, Arsenal finally got their hands on the trophy last year, but defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League prevented them from achieving an all-timer of a season.

Arsenal believe they can cement their position at the top of the pyramid, but of course, football is never so straightforward. Things ebb and they flow. Arsenal may well miss out on titles over the coming years, but Arteta is not blind to that, and instead wants to create a high baseline from which the Gunners can outpunch their rivals over so many years.

The Emirates side have a formidable squad of players, but a few tweaks could make a world of difference. There’s been plenty of talk about exciting arrivals, but signings naturally come at the expense of at least one player’s game time, with the skipper in trouble.

Why Odegaard’s playing time could be in danger

Martin Odegaard has been one of Arsenal’s most important players since he arrived from Real Madrid. First as a loanee, the Norwegian playmaker has now played 234 times for the Gunners, scoring 42 goals and supplying 46 assists.

Injuries and repeated drops in form have limited the 27-year-old Odegaard, left him struggling to produce the muster, defence-splitting passing and add the kind of influential attacking authority that could take Arsenal to an even higher level.

At times, the 2025/26 campaign was attritional for the Gunners, who lacked a degree of sparkle that may well have been there had Odegaard been firing at full throttle.

We cannot deny that Odegaard has taken a backseat over the past couple of years, no longer the arbiter of Arsenal’s success, but instead an adjunct to a high-flying system.

He might be among the most talented players in the Premier League, but Arsenal will only consolidate their position with players who can prove upgrades.

Perhaps that’s why Arteta and Berta are exploring a move for Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers.

Three Lions star Rogers is at the top of the Londoners’ shortlist, and personal terms are close to being agreed.

But it could actually be another arrival who most critically impacts Odegaard’s position at the heart of Arteta’s project.

Odegaard upgrade “wants to live in London”

Rogers and Odegaard are both attacking midfielders, but they are very different in their execution of their offensive ability, with the Norway captain more of a deep-lying playmaker, less explosive and dynamic when moving.

And with that in mind, Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes could actually be the man who usurps Odegaard this summer.

According to Fabrizio Romano“there is an agreement on personal terms in principle between Guimaraes and Arsenal”, with the Brazil international intimating his desire to leave St. James’ Park and sign for the Gunners this summer.

An informal £55m proposal has already been knocked back, but “the desire of the player is to live in London”, according to the transfer guru, as he “wants to go to Arsenal”, and so “the contract is ready and it has never been in doubt”.

Two offers have been proposed already, both rejected by Eddie Howe’s outfit. However, now there is belief that a £72m proposal could be accepted for the 28-year-old, who is desperate to challenge himself at the highest level while in the prime of his career.

He is priceless to Newcastle, but that only stretches so far, and as Guimaraes heads into the penultimate year of his contract, there’s a sense that the Magpies could cede their prized piece of silver.

Guimaraes has been the definitive Newcastle superstar of recent years, synonymous with the club’s rise under Howe’s wing. He is the real deal, all right, effectively because he is so good at everything.

Perhaps the fact that Arsenal are determined to sign both Rogers and Guimaraes this summer emphasises the struggle that Odegaard faces ahead of him. It’s difficult to see how the Norwegian would maintain a leading role in the side, should both players sign, and should he fail to kick on.

It seems unlikely that Arsenal would push Odegaard out this summer, but the Norwegian captain has undoubtedly fallen from his former standards, and with Arsenal lacking that little bit of oomph, Guimaraes could be the key to unlocking latent levels within Arteta’s project.

It is not that Guimaraes is inherently more creative than Odegaard, but rather, that he is far more complete, a combative and cultured and creative and crafty midfielder who would enable Rice’s ball-carrying and -creating qualities while stabilising the central structure and creating framework from which the likes of Rogers could leap from to wreak havoc in the danger area.

Arsenal are in a strong position, and when in a strong position, a football team must take advantage. Liverpool tried to do that last summer, but they rocked their boat too hard.

It’s difficult to see Arsenal making the same mistake with such exciting additions.