Arsenal have completed the signing of Norwegian international Martin Odegaard on a permanent deal from Spanish giant, Real Madrid, on a five-year deal.

The 22-year-old joins for an initial £30m plus bonuses worth around £4m having spent the second half of last season on loan at the Emirates.

Odegaard who will wear the number 8 shirt made 20 appearances, notably scoring in Arsenal’s Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium in March.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said he expects Odegaard to add “A lot of things that he brought last season [to the squad]. He made us better, we needed more options and alternatives for creativity.”

However, Arteta will have to wait for his new signing’s second Arsenal debut as Odegaard will not be available for Sunday’s match with Chelsea, and we await visa clearance before he will be available for selection.

“He is still a really young man but he has huge experiences in clubs already and has unique talents for the way we want to play so I am really pleased the club have made the effort,” Arteta added.

The 22-year-old started his career in Norway with Stromsgodset, where he made his debut as a 15-year-old in April 2014, becoming the youngest-ever player to feature in Norway’s top division. He was signed by Real Madrid in January 2015 and subsequently became their youngest player in May 2015.

In the three seasons from 2017/18, Odegaard spent loan spells with Heerenveen and Vitesse Arnhem in the Netherlands and then back in Spain with Real Sociedad in 2019/20, where he helped the club reach the final of the Copa Del Rey.

The attacking midfielder has also made 30 appearances for Norway, making his debut in August 2014, becoming the youngest player to represent his country’s senior national team at the age of just 15 years and 253 days.