A LAST-DITCH phone call from Mikel Arteta proved crucial in Martin Odegaard’s decision to join Arsenal for the remainder of the season.

The 22-year-old midfielder completed his loan move from Real Madrid this afternoon (Wednesday) and is now in line to make his debut for the Gunners this Saturday against Manchester United.

Odegaard had made little secret of his desire to escape bench-warming at the Bernabeu for regular first-team football, having played just nine times in all competitions for Madrid this season.

A number of clubs were interested in securing his services, but, following a chat with Arteta, he set his sights on north London.

“I spoke to him before coming here, of course,” Odegaard told Arsenal’s website. “That was very important for me and he seems like a top manager and I liked his ideas, the way he sees football and also the way he is.

“He gave me a great feeling and that was important for me to come here. He was crucial.

“I think every time you go to a new place, you want to make sure that it feels good and that there is a plan. But I think everything here just seems good.

“I like the club and I always liked the way that the club wants to play. Everything about the club and now how the manager wants to play, I think it’s a club that really suits me well. So I think it’s a good match.”

Arteta was equally pleased to sign Odegaard, who will wear the number 11 shirt at the Emirates.

“Martin is of course a player that we all know very well, and although still young, he has been playing at the top level for a while,” said the Gunners boss.

“Martin will provide us with quality offensive options and we’re all excited to be integrating him into our plans between now and May.”

Odegaard becomes the second signing to beef up Arteta’s squad this month after the Gunners snapped up Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan on loan until the end of the season on Friday. A boyhood Arsenal fan, Ryan, 28, said the move came with “an aura of surrealness”.

Meanwhile, the Gunners are in talks about playing the first leg of their Europa League last-32 game against Benfica next month at a neutral venue.

Arsenal are due to play the first leg of the Round of 32 tie in Lisbon on February 18. However, they may not be allowed to fly to Portugal because of government concerns about new coronavirus variants.