Real Sociedad, Leicester City, and Tottenham Hotspur were three of the clubs in the mix for Martin Odegaard before Arsenal wrapped up a deal this week.

Martin Odegaard with Arsenal (Photo via Arsenal.com)
Martin Odegaard with Arsenal (Photo via Arsenal.com)

Martin Odegaard completed a loan move to Arsenal this week, but there were some other options on the table for a January move.

Speaking on The Ornstein & Chapman Podcast, David Ornstein reported that there were at least three other clubs in the mix for the Real Madrid midfielder, including Arsenal’s North London rivals Spurs.

“There were some other clubs who were offered him and in talks for him,” Ornstein said. “Real Sociedad again, Leicester I think might have had him mentioned, Spurs and a couple of others.

“But Arsenal moved pretty decisively and it seems that Edu as technical director is doing a good job again so far.”

As well as Edu, Mikel Arteta and Dani Ceballos reportedly played roles in helping to convince Odegaard to join.

It’s far from the first time Tottenham Hotspur have lost out on a player to Arsenal. Even if we only look at recent deals, we saw both William Saliba and Dani Ceballos choose the Gunners over Spurs in 2019.

It’s a good thing too, because Arsenal certainly need a player like Odegaard right now. Emile Smith Rowe’s fitness concerns over the last week or so have only highlighted how important it is that there’s some sort of alternative to him in the squad.

Let’s hope Odegaard can make sure Spurs regret their failure to take advantage of the 22-year-old’s availability.