Martin Odegaard has completed his transfer from Real Madrid to Arsenal on a permanent basis, but he won’t be available to face Chelsea this weekend.

martin odegaard
Martin Odegaard

Despite Arsenal announcing the signing of Martin Odegaard on Friday, they have unfortunately also confirmed that the player won’t be available to face Chelsea this weekend.

When David Ornstein initially announced the news that Arsenal were close to agreeing a permanent deal for Martin Odegaard, he wrote that the midfielder ‘may be in contention to feature’ against Chelsea on Sunday.

The Telegraph wrote that Arsenal were hoping the Real Madrid man will be signed in time to play against Thomas Tuchel’s side, and Freddie Paxton claimed the young playmaker would be in the Arsenal squad.

But despite Arsenal announcing the deal before the midday Friday deadline, Odegaard is unavailable, as the club await visa clearance for him.

As for whether he’s physically ready for the game, Odegaard has had a full pre-season with Real Madrid, and he’s been in training up until the last day or so. There shouldn’t be any fitness reason for him to miss out once his visa issue is sorted.

Obviously, the 22-year-old hasn’t been playing alongside his new Arsenal teammates for a few months, so he may be a little rusty on that front. But the League Cup game against West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday would be a good one to get him sharp again.