Arsenal could be facing a tricky summer on the financial front, and Gunners skipper Martin Odegaard can end up being at the centre of it.
According to a report from The Telegraph earlier this month, the Gunners will need to sell at least one senior player in the upcoming transfer window following their spending this season.
Internal discussions have reportedly taken place over who would generate the biggest return, with Odegaard flagged as a potentially lucrative option alongside Gabriel Martinelli and Ben White.
But there is a problem, former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson does not think that selling Odegaard is going to be anywhere near as straightforward as Arsenal might be hoping…
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson was blunt about Arsenal finding a buyer willing to meet that £80 million asking price for the Norway international.
Why finding a Martin Odegaard buyer at £80m will be so hard this summer
Borson’s concern is not about Odegaard’s quality. It is about the market. The 27-year-old joined Arsenal permanently from Real Madrid in the summer of 2021 for £34 million, and his contract runs until June 2028.
On paper, a big profit is there to be made. In practice, the pool of clubs who can actually afford that kind of fee is much smaller than Arsenal might like.
“The players that are on that list, they’re going to find it very difficult to sell them for a substantial profit,” Borson told Football Insider.
“Not because they’re not good players, just because the number of buyers for these sorts of players, the Odegaards, that you’re going to want let’s say £80m for.”
Stefan Borson rules out most of Europe as realistic Martin Odegaard transfer destinations
Borson went through the options one by one, and the list of viable buyers gets thin very quickly.
Germany offers little more hope, with Bayern Munich limited to one or two major signings per window, and only if they are genuinely interested. They are not linked with Odegaard at all.
PSG have shifted their transfer strategy away from this type of profile, Borson argued, which rules them out too.
Real Madrid are an obvious name to consider given Odegaard’s history at the club, but Borson was clear: “I very much doubt they’re going to buy Odegaard back.” Barcelona have well-documented financial constraints. And a move to another Premier League club? Borson does not see that happening either. “It’s all very well saying, ‘Well, we’re going to sell these players for big money’,” he said. “It’s just not very simple to do.”
Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard injury record adds another layer of complexity to any sale
There is another factor that complicates things further. Odegaard has had a difficult season with injuries, managing just 16 starts across his 27 appearances this campaign.
He has contributed one goal and seven assists, numbers that fall well short of what Arsenal supporters have come to expect from their captain at his best.
Any club looking to spend £80 million on a player will want certainty, and Odegaard’s recent fitness record does not exactly provide that.
Arsenal are in a position where they need to balance the books but may not have the ideal assets to do it cleanly. Odegaard would generate the biggest fee in theory, but the market reality Borson describes makes that easier said than done.
Martinelli and White remain the other names in the frame, and it may be that one of them ends up being the more realistic route to raising the funds Arteta’s side needs to stay competitive this summer.
