Martin Odegaard is embracing the intensity of Arsenal’s rivalry with Manchester City and is ready to set aside his friendship with Erling Haaland when the two teams face off on Sunday.
The Arsenal captain was sidelined due to injury for the heated 2-2 draw at the Etihad in September. In that match, Haaland confronted Mikel Arteta at full-time, telling the Arsenal manager to “stay humble.” The Norwegian striker had opened the scoring, but City needed a late goal from John Stones to secure a point. Arsenal have finished as runners-up to City in the last two seasons, and Odegaard expects another fiercely contested match.
“In these big games, the rivalry is always there,” he said. “You are competing, and you want to be the best. That’s how it should be, and there should be a little bit of heat sometimes. But a lot of the players know each other from the national team England, Brazil, me with Erling so on the pitch and off the pitch, it’s a bit different. When we’re on the pitch, it’s a good battle.”
When asked about Haaland’s heated exchange with Arteta, Odegaard played down the incident. “In football, emotions run high, and the adrenaline is there. Things happen on the pitch, but once you walk off, you move on,” he said. “We are good friends. Him and a few of the other boys from the national team, we have a little group chat, so we stay in touch. To be fair, we don’t talk much about football, just random things. We haven’t spoken about the game, but he’s a good friend.”
Arsenal’s hopes of signing Norwegian midfielder Sverre Nypan before the transfer window closes have faded, as the 18-year-old has decided to remain at Rosenborg until the summer. Compared to Odegaard in style, Nypan was also in discussions with Girona and Aston Villa but has opted to wait before making a decision on his future. Arsenal are believed to be in talks with his representatives regarding a potential move later in the year.
For now, creative responsibility continues to rest on Ødegaard, who admitted his tally of one Premier League goal this season “hasn’t been good enough.” Meanwhile, goalkeeper David Raya is doubtful for Sunday’s clash due to a muscular injury that kept him out of the recent Champions League victory over Girona.
After their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Newcastle on Wednesday, Arsenal plan to head to Dubai for a warm-weather training camp. Odegaard is hopeful that they can replicate the strong finish they had last season when they dropped only five points from their final 18 matches.
“We’re in a good position, and we have to remember that,” he said. “But I feel like we have another gear to hit, just like last year when we really found top form towards the end of the season. Hopefully, we can do that again.”
Having come close to lifting the Premier League trophy, Arsenal’s squad is even more determined to go one step further. “When you’ve been so close, it makes you even hungrier,” Odegaard added. “Last year, we felt how close it was right until the final day. Now, I think the whole squad is ready to push for it.”
For Odegaard, winning the Premier League has been a dream since childhood. “To win one of the big trophies, especially the Premier League, was always something special growing up. It’s what we work for every day,” he said. “But it’s important to stay in the moment, not look too far ahead. Just focus on the day-to-day, keep going, and in the end, hopefully, we’ll be rewarded.”
