Martin Ødegaard signs new Arsenal contract

Arsenal announced that Martin Ødegaard has signed a new contract with the club. The Norwegian reportedly put pen to paper back on September 1st. The deal will keep him in North London through 2028 and make him the highest paid player on the roster, per David Ornstein. Unlike many of the recently signed new contracts, it doesn’t contain an option for an additional season.

Said Ødegaard:

It was an easy decision for me. As I said many times, I felt connected and I felt at home here since the first day.

And also I was moving around a lot and struggling to really settle down, so I felt like I needed a place to come and settle down and to kind of find a home. That’s what I did here and I felt it from the first day, so it was easy for me to commit. I’m also excited for what we’re doing now and for the future, so I’m really happy.

Added Mikel Arteta:

Martin signing a new long-term contract is such good news for everyone connected with Arsenal. He is our captain and a hugely respected person at our club, who is a great role model and professional, bringing quality and maturity in everything he does. On the pitch, as everyone has seen, Martin is a young player of top quality who consistently contributes at a such a high level.

As a manager, working with Martin the person and the player is an absolute joy, and it’s great that after experiencing a number of clubs already in his career, he is now settled and really feels at home at Arsenal. We all look forward to continuing our journey with Martin in the years to come.

Ødegaard joins William Saliba, Bukayo Saka, Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gabriel Magalhaes in committing his future to Arsenal. All have signed new contracts with the club within the last year or so, ensuring the core of the roster will be together for the next four or five seasons. Next up is Ben White. The fullback’s contract runs through 2025-26, so an extension isn’t a pressing concern, but the reports are that tying him down is next on Arsenal’s to do list.

Josh Kroenke has reportedly played a key role in several of the recent negotiations that have helped secure Arsenal’s short and medium term future. We’ve seen the destruction that a divided leadership can wreak on a club, see e.g. the disastrous signing of Nicolas Pépé. Since Mikel Arteta and Edu took over, it seems as if everyone has been pulling in the same direction in North London. And the results are clear — success on the pitch and off.