Arteta to 'rescue' dejected Real Madrid attacker in repeat of masterful 2021 move

Arsenal want to sign a disgruntled Real Madrid attacker via an initial loan agreement in a repeat of the operation that brought Martin Odegaard to the club in 2021, according to a report.

Odegaard joined Real Madrid aged just 16 back in 2015. The Norwegian was widely regarded as wonderkid at the time, though his time at The Bernabeu was characterised by a lack of opportunities.

Odegaard shone during a fruitful loan spell with Real Sociedad in the 2019/20 season. However, upon returning to Real Madrid for the first half of the 2020/21 campaign, he featured just nine times in all competitions.

Arsenal thundered in with a loan approach in January of 2021 and the playmaker quickly made a huge impression on Mikel Arteta and his staff. Fast forward to the end of the 2020/21 season and Arsenal signed Odegaard in permanent deal worth €40m (€35m plus €5m in add-ons).

That has since proven to be a masterful move for The Gunners, with Odegaard establishing himself as not only Arsenal’s captain, but one of the finest creative midfielders in world football.

And according to Spanish outlet Sport, Arsenal hope to pull off a repeat of that operation by bringing Arda Guler to the club, initially on loan.

Guler, 19, is in a similar situation to Odegaard was four years ago in that he’s a young and creative player who isn’t being given a chance to shine in Madrid. Guler’s 12 outings this season – most of which have come from the bench – have totalled just 307 minutes of action.

Sport state Arsenal sense an opportunity to pull off another masterstroke by loaning Guler who is described as ‘not happy’ at Real Madrid.

But for Arsenal’s attempts to be successful, it’s stated Guler ‘must convince himself that he has no future’ at Real Madrid. In other words, Guler must admit defeat on his Real Madrid career and push to leave before the club will entertain exit opportunities.

READ MORE: The key contract details of every Arsenal first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…

Odegaard, Nwaneri AND Guler?

Sport did not clarify whether Arsenal would seek a loan move in January or in the summer ahead of the 2025/26 season. But given Guler is disgruntled with his lack of action right now, a winter window move would make sense.

Arsenal suffered during Odegaard’s recent injury absence, with Arteta curiously reluctant to throw 17-year-old starlet Ethan Nwaneri into the mix.

Guler would have represented a like-for-like replacement for Odegaard, though his arrival could potentially stifle Nwaneri’s progress.

Nonetheless, having too many highly-rated playmakers to choose from is hardly the worst problem in the world for Arteta to wrestle with.

One factor to take into consideration is Ancelotti – who rarely selects Guler – looks on course to leave Real Madrid at season’s end. TEAMtalk can confirm Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso has been lined up to take the reins next summer.

Changes in manager can and often do open the door for marginalised players to come to the fore and with Alonso waiting in the wings, Guler may believe there’s still a chance he can prove his worth in Madrid.

Latest Arsenal news – Isak, Guerra

In other news, TEAMtalk can confirm Arsenal’s No 1 striker target for 2025 and beyond remains Alexander Isak of Newcastle.

The Swede is Arsenal’s ‘dream’ target and ticks every box they’re looking for in a frontman. We understand Isak could look favourably on leaving The Magpies for a club who regularly compete in the Champions League, though a transfer is likely to cost £100m at least.

Elsewhere, TBR Football has listed Arsenal among four Premier League sides taking a look at Valencia midfielder, Javi Guerra.

The 21-year-old had agreed to join Atletico Madrid over the summer and a deal between they and Valencia worth €30m was ironed out. However, Guerra’s move was only lined up by Atleti in the event their swoop for Conor Gallagher fell through and Gallagher’s switch eventually crossed the line.

Guerra thus remained in situ at Valencia, though Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and West Ham have monitored his progress this season.

Arda Guler’s lack of playing time

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