Martin Odegaard is sure his return to Real Madrid will be a success and he’d like Erling Haaland to come play with him in Spain.

While rumours persist that Arsenal will try to sign Martin Odegaard on a permanent basis, that always looked unlikely. Now, while on international duty, Martin Odegaard has given a few short interviews that seem to kill any possibility of an Arsenal move.

Real Madrid have always been clear that they wanted to keep the midfielder but, as long as Zinedine Zidane was at the club, Arsenal were in with a shot. Now that he’s gone, and Carlo Ancelotti has left Everton to take over, it looks as if Odegaard will finally get a proper shout at the club.

“I am a Real Madrid player,” the 22-year-old told reporters as he reiterated he does not feel comfortable changing teams so often as he has been forced to do during his short career so far. He is hoping that next season he can be given a prominent role at Real Madrid as he looks for ‘balance and stability in a club that can give him minutes’.

Asked about the open letter Zidane sent to Real Madrid fans, stating that he felt the club no longer had the faith in him that he required, Odegaard said, “I saw that. Those are his opinions and his words. I don’t want to comment on it, since they are his experiences.”

He was then asked about his national teammate, Erling Haaland, and if he’d like to play in Spain with the Real Madrid-linked forward. Odegaard replied, “Of course. I ask him about that from time to time, but he does not comment much on his future. At least nothing that I can share with you here.”

In a different interview, Odegaard was asked about Ancelotti’s return to Real Madrid. “He is a coach that I know and with whom I had a good relationship the last time he was there. In that sense, it is positive,.” Odegaard said. “But beyond that, time has passed, so I do not know too much about what he thinks about me.”

He was then asked if he thought returning to Real Madrid was a good idea. “I absolutely believe that returning to Madrid will be a success,” Odegaard replied.

So, unless Ancelotti decides he doesn’t want Odegaard, it’s time to move on without him. The Real Madrid site, DefensaCentral, however, report that “Ancelotti fully trusts Odegaard and has spoken with the Norwegian about staying at Madrid next season.”