On Tuesday evening, Arsenal’s Norwegian captain met with the press – the day before what could be the biggest game of his career: the Champions League semi-final against Atlético Madrid, where he also meets national team colleague Alexander Sørloth. And he spoke out about exit speculation.
“I have no idea where this comes from,” says Ødegaard.
Today’s Champions League match has big shoes to fill. Yesterday we witnessed what can stand as the best football match of the year. Paris Saint-Germain won 5 – 4 Bayern Munich.
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The 27-year-old has had an injury-plagued season and has only started 18 games in the Premier League and Champions League. He was out for a long time with a knee problem, but is now back – and Saturday’s 1-0 win over Newcastle was the first time since December that he played two games in a row.
Rumours have swirled, though: Will Arsenal be willing to sell their own captain to fund another summer of big signings? Ødegaard dismisses it flatly.
“My mindset is just to do what I can, every single day, to achieve something special. There will always be talk and speculation – that’s normal in football. But this is not something I know about,” he says.
“How can you not enjoy this?”
He was also asked about Arsenal’s painful experience with falling almost at the end – and if they can put it behind them.
“It will always be there, until we win. We just have to live with that. We must take the experiences and lessons learned and use them in a good way. It’s part of the journey,” says Ødegaard.
“Now it’s going very well. We are in a fantastic position in the league and in the Champions League. We have to live in the moment and focus on how we can be the best.
Ødegaard himself is clearly characterized by the joy of the game:
“How can you not enjoy this?” We play in the world’s toughest league, fight for league gold and are in the semi-finals of the Champions League. I don’t understand how you can’t like it. This is what we have dreamed of since we were children. Now we are in the best part of the season. The energy in the group is absolutely fantastic.
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