FOOTBALL

Edu excluding the buy-back clause proved to be a masterstroke for Arsenal

Arsenal technical director Edu did not include a buy-back clause when Arsenal signed Martin Odegaard on loan from Real Madrid. Edu received a lot of criticism for the past two seasons for his business in the transfer market. However, credit where it’s due, the Gunners did a great job in recruiting this season and are enjoying its fruits now.

Real Madrid have a habit of including buy-back clauses in players’ contracts. They did so with Sergio Reguilon and Alvaro Morata and also could have done that with Martin Odegaard. However, Edu stood firm to exclude the buy-back clause to keep Odegaard. The Norwegian has been one of Arsenal’s key players in their recent success.

Arsenal signed Martin Odegaard on loan in the 2020/21 season and were very impressed with his performances in that loan spell. The Gunners then signed the Norwegian on a permanent basis for £35million and excluded the buy-back clause. That could have allowed Real Madrid to re-sign the player at a lower price.

Despite a successful loan spell at Real Sociedad, Martin Odegaard failed to get regular game time at Real Madrid. The Gunners were quick to monitor this situation and secure Odegaard’s signature. He might have been one of Madrid’s key players in the current squad but Edu’s masterstroke worked well for the Gunners.

Why Edu insistet to exclude the buy-back clause before signing Odegaard for Arsenal?

Martin Odegaard has been one of Arsenal’s key players in the past two seasons. He is one of the main reasons for Arsenal having the third-best xG in the league since the 17th of December. He has derived games for Arsenal and has carried them at times while creating chances without stopping. Odegaard is probably Edu‘s one of best signings during his time at the club.

The Norwegian plays in the number 10 role for the Gunners and basically everything goes through him in the Arsenal attack. He has great vision and has a habit of finding his teammates through all kinds of passes. Moreover, he also keeps the ball moving and is constantly working to find space and release the player. His vision and passing skills are hugely supported by his technical skills also.

Odegaard completes 2.3 key passes while putting 1.1 crosses and also attempting 2.1 long balls per game (stats via whoscored). He remains one of Arsenal’s best creators this season and has had a great impact on this side since his arrival. He is just 23-years-old and could improve a lot in the forthcoming seasons.

Arsenal fans are seeing glimpses of Mesut Ozil in Martin Odegaard and to be fair, he does have the potential to become that great of a player. He already drags Arsenal attack at times at such a young age and could do even more in the peak of his age. If Edu agreed to a buy-back clause then Arsenal might have lost a gem of a player. The Norwegian remains one of Arsenal’s best investments in the past few years.

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