![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/67\/590x\/secondary\/Martin-Odegaard-4972213.jpg?r=1695367407148\")
<\/p>\nMartin Odegaard has put down roots for the next five years to end the nomadic lifestyle that could have destroyed his confidence. The Arsenal captain has been rewarded with a huge leap on his previous \u00a3120,000-a-week wages with a new deal which keeps him at the Emirates until 2028.\u00a0And he finally feels he has found his long-term home.<\/p>\n
The boy from Drammen, Norway, was a child prodigy. He trained with the Stromgodset first team as a 13-year-old, played for Norway at 15 and was signed by Real Madrid a year later. That was where the unsettled globetrotting began. He switched between Real and their reserve side Castilla before loan spells at Heerenveen, Vitesse and Real Sociedad.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very young, he recalled. \u201cI was stuck between the first and second teams, then I was moving around on loans here and there. So I never really got the time to settle down. There are moments when you maybe lose your confidence a little bit and you\u2019re not in your best place and don\u2019t perform as you want to.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to focus on yourself, keep working hard and doing your thing. I think hard work always pays off. So I was pretty calm. Of course at some moments I was a bit disappointed, but I was calm and just kept on going. But I always kept that self belief and I was always sure I was going to turn things around.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Things were different, though, the moment he set foot at London Colney, Arsenal\u2019s training ground. \u201cI felt at home here since the first day,\u201d he said. \u201cI was moving around a lot and struggling to really settle down, so I felt like I needed a place to find a home.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere I live is very calm, a bit like the countryside, and then you can go to central London and do other things like go for dinner or shopping or whatever. I\u2019m not there too much, but where I live is very calm, close to the training ground, so it\u2019s an easy life and I like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don’t miss… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n That calmness will be shattered on Sunday when Tottenham visit the Emirates for the north London derby. But the Arsenal captain will be ready for it.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a big one,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I first came here I knew straight away going into that game that this was something special. You can just feel it at the training ground, on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though I try not to focus too much on social media, you still see it and feel it from the fans. It\u2019s a special one and it\u2019s a game we look forward to. It\u2019s one of those games you really enjoy playing and it will be a nice one. To play here at home with the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n
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