Arsenal have completed the signings of Martin Odegaard and Aaron Ramsdale from Real Madrid and Sheffield United respectively.
After a relatively successful six-month loan spell last season, Norway international Odegaard, 22, has joined permanently for £30m, signing a four-year contract with the option for a further year.
Ramsdale, 23, has signed a long-term contract, joining for £24m plus a further £6 million in add-ons. He made 38 appearances for the Blades last season, also being included in England’s Euro 2020 squad after Dean Henderson picked up an injury. He will now compete with Bernd Leno for the number 1 spot.
On Odegaard, manager Mikel Arteta said in his Friday press conference that “he brings a lot of things that he brought last season. He made us better, we needed more options, alternatives, creativity and players that can be morals for this football club.”
“He has a unique talent based on the way we want to play so I’m delighted that the club has made an effort and we have Martin on a permanent deal here.”
On Ramsdale, before the deal had been confirmed, the Spaniard said that “Aaron is a talented young keeper with huge experience and has international experience for England. He will bring competition and that’s what we want to create – healthy competition, quality competition in every position. We identified Aaron as the ideal option.”
“I think he’s a young goalkeeper, but he’s got huge, huge potential.”
Both deals take Arsenal’s summer transfer window spending up to £129m, more than any other Premier League club. The club may not yet be finished in their dealings, however, with Arteta saying today that “there’s still 11 days to go and we still have things to do. There are going to be players at the moment with the way the squad is set up that are going to be difficult to find game time, so there are things to be done.”
Ramsdale is available for Sunday’s visit of Chelsea, but Odegaard is not as he is awaiting visa clearance.
