Arsenal captain, Martin Odegaard, has opened up on his emotional reunion with the club’s former manager Arsene Wenger.
Odegaard, who Wenger tried to sign as a teenager, said the Frenchman was concerned he was in danger of wasting his talent.
The Norway international had the chance to join the Gunners club as a teenager but instead signed for Real Madrid.
“I was actually close to choosing Arsenal,” Odegaard told Players Tribune.
“I met Arsene Wenger. He took me and dad out for dinner. That was cool but strange too. It is Arsene Wenger, you know? He is this legend I grew up watching on TV, and now I am sitting across from him eating steak.
“After the win over West Ham on Boxing Day, I got the chance to speak to Wenger – it was the first time he’d been back to the Emirates since 2018, and the first time I had seen him since that steak and fries all those years ago,” Odegaard added.
“We had a good chat, and he mentioned that he had kept a close eye on my career even after I chose Madrid. He was honest and said that at one point, he was actually worried about the way things were going for me, but now he is so happy to see me doing well in the right environment.
“He had recognised something. Ever since I left Norway, it is like everything has felt sort of temporary. I have not had that stability, that real deep connection, until now, and that is so important.”