Mikel Arteta: Ødegaard “wants to be present at every game” amidst injury doubt

On Sunday, Arsenal will face Tottenham in the North London Derby at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a highly anticipated game. Mikel Arteta spoke to the media before the game at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, touching on his recent contract renewal, Martin Ødegaard’s fitness and the transfer window.

What did Mikel Arteta say?

Earlier this week, Arteta penned a new three-year deal to keep him at the club until 2027. The Spaniard has been one of the driving factors behind the Gunners‘ resurgence in the last couple of years as he looks to the future, and he told reporters: “I’m happy, really excited. I think it shows the alignment between the club, myself, and the coaching staff that we’re on this journey together, we’re enjoying working together, and we have much higher ambitions that we want to fulfil.”

“I couldn’t think about a better place to be to develop my career as a player, to experience such an amazing football club, the people that I met, the experiences that I had, and now as a manager, that has been something far beyond and better than what I ever dreamed about.”

During the international break, Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard picked up an injury when Norway played Austria. When asked about the extent of the ankle injury, Arteta commented: “We need some more tests, so let’s see what happens the next day or so, this afternoon probably, and see what happens, what is the extent of the injury and how quickly we can get him back.”

“He’s super positive about everything. We know Martin; he wants to be there every single day, but we have to wait and see.”

On deadline day, Arsenal signed former Manchester City player Raheem Sterling on loan. The winger has trained with his new teammates throughout the international window, and Arteta took the chance to praise the English forward during his pre-match press conference.

“First of all, he’s got the biggest man on his face, a lot of energy, he’s at it, and I think it was to prove a point.”

“Once someone’s got that in his belly, you sense it is straight away, and they turn into this corner, and they’re going to have all his quality and what he can bring to the team.”