I flew in on private jet for Arsenal transfer talks over steak with boss – this is why I said no

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard may now be one of the first names on Mikel Arteta's teamsheet, but there was an occasion when he actually snubbed the Gunners after having transfer talks over a steak dinner with ex-boss Arsene Wenger.

At just 16 years old, Odegaard had the choice of any club he wished to play for after earning his debut for the Norwegian national team at 15 and making his breakthrough for Stromsgodset in his home country.

Despite having discussions with several Premier League clubs, including Arsenal and Liverpool, the young midfielder sealed a move to Real Madrid in January 2015, mixing it with legends of the game like Toni Kroos and Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, his spell in the Spanish capital was a time of frustration. After turning out for the reserves, his stint in Real's first team was punctuated with loan moves to the Netherlands and later Real Sociedad.

The 26-year-old has previously explained how he could've been a Gooner much sooner, although even Wenger couldn't persuade him to come to north London at that stage of his career. He says he elected for the La Liga giants due to not only their standing as the then-European champions, but also the club's set-up and their Real Madrid Castilla manager.

"My dad handled everything with the clubs and there were a lot," Odegaard told The Players' Tribune in February 2023. "We went to Bayern, Dortmund, Man Utd, Liverpool, Madrid, Arsenal too. We got flown around in private planes and made to feel special.

"I’m not just saying this… I was actually close to choosing Arsenal. When we went there, I got to train at London Colney. I met Arsene Wenger. He took me and dad out for dinner.

"That was cool, but strange too. It’s Arsene Wenger, you know? He’s this legend I grew up watching on TV, and now I’m sitting across from him eating steak. I was so nervous.

"I was just sitting there thinking, 'Is he analysing me right now? Is he going to judge me if I eat the fries? Maybe I should just leave them.' Hahaha!"

On his call to move to Real, he added: "So, why Real Madrid then? I talked about it a lot with my dad and the rest of my family. In the end, Madrid is Madrid.

"They were the Champions League holders with the best players in the world. Back then, I loved Isco — he was so smooth on the ball. Another one of my kind of players!

"But the really key thing about Madrid’s offer was that they had a B team where I could play competitive football immediately. And the manager of that team? Zinedine Zidane. It felt like the total package.

"Before we officially told them, I remember sitting with my dad on the sofa watching a Real Madrid game on TV. At one point, he turned to me with his phone in his hand like, 'Is it time? Should we tell them?'

"We’d been speaking about the decision for so long, as it was so hard to turn down all these other amazing clubs. But then we did it. He’d had the draft saved in his phone for like a week or two already. This really simple message. It was something like, 'Martin has decided he wants to come, if you still want him.' I just told him, 'Send it.'"

The Norwegian star initially signed for Arsenal on a six-month loan in January 2020. Odegaard then sealed a permanent move the following summer, costing £30million plus bonuses.

He has since become the club's leader on the pitch, being appointed with the honour ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. He has overseen a period of three consecutive second-placed finishes and scored 41 goals in 201 appearances.

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