Paul Merson says he would be ‘disappointed’ if Arsenal had not already made an offer to sign Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid on a permanent transfer.
Odegaard has impressed for the Gunners since joining the Premier League club in January on a loan deal until the end of the season.
The Norway international has been at Real Madrid since the age of 16 but found first-team opportunities hard to come by at the Bernabeu, making just 11 appearances for the Spanish giants.
Odegaard has admitted he is enjoying his time in north London and ex-Arsenal star Merson ‘hopes’ his former club can sign him on a permanent deal.
‘Martin Odegaard looks a really good player and I hope Arsenal have a chance of signing him permanently,’ Merson told Starsport.
‘Because if they don’t have a chance of making his loan permanent next season, why is he playing?
‘If they know he doesn’t want to stay, he shouldn’t be playing because he’s taking opportunities away from people like Emile Smith Rowe.
‘So I hope Arsenal have done their homework and know what the situation is – I’d be disappointed if they haven’t already made a bid to be honest!
‘It took him a while to adjust but you have to give him the ball. He gets into lots of good positions, and to start with his team-mates weren’t seeing him.
‘They weren’t giving him the ball. But now he’s getting it more often and he’s making things happen. He can hurt opposing teams.
‘It’s almost a free role and for someone so young to be trusted with such a difficult position at such a young age is a big deal.
‘But if he’s okay after his injury and he helps Arsenal win the Europa League, Real Madrid will probably want him back – or add a lot more money to his asking price.’
Arsenal came from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with London rivals West Ham before the international break and return to Premier League action next Saturday against defending champions Liverpool.
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