Manchester City’s failed chase of now-Arsenal superstar in 2014 revealed

Officials at Manchester City went above and beyond in their attempts to sign the now-Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard in the summer of 2014, it has been detailed.

The Norwegian midfielder is at the heart of everything excellent that Arsenal are putting together at present, with Mikel Arteta’s side currently blowing away the competition in the Premier League, and leading the chase for the title by five points with a game in hand.

However, things could have perhaps been very different, had the now-24 year-old taken a different path when every European super club was after his signature nine years ago.

One of those potential suitors was Manchester City, who – as they usually are – sounded out the Norway international as a star for the future, and did everything that they could to convince the player that the Etihad Stadium was the best place to be for his development.

New details surrounding Manchester City’s pursuit have now emerged, offering a unique behind-the-scenes insight into the processes that the Premier League giants took during the negotiation phase with the player and his parents.

According to a report from The Athletic’s Daniel Taylor, while Manchester City were managed by Manuel Pellegrini at the time, Pep Guardiola was well in their thoughts and plans for the future, and Martin Odegaard was viewed as an ‘ideal’ player for that style of playing.

It is further explained that the then-16 year-old had been shown around Manchester City’s impressive training complex, alongside his parents Hans and Lene. City’s Director of Football Txiki Begiristain had also explained the club’s vision to ‘dominate English football’, while the money on offer was ‘good’.

However, the player’s father is reported to have admitted that Real Madrid made a promise for his son to go straight into their first-team squad and train with the Galacticos. Begiristain’s response? The City chief is quoted as saying, “I could make the same promise as Real Madrid. But I have to be honest with you and, realistically, it is going to take longer.”

The Athletic quotes one unnamed City executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, who says, “We had him in the building but we couldn’t make it happen. We thought it was close.”

“But you can be close in football and also a mile apart. The truth had to be told and the truth in this instance was not what they wanted to hear.”

This season, Martin Odegaard has made a total of 18 appearances for Arsenal in their impressive Premier League campaign so far, scoring a total of eight goals and providing a further six assists in the process.

That total of six assists places Odegaard in joint-sixth in the most assists provided in the season so far, alongside the likes of Bernardo Silva of Manchester City, and Dejan Kulusevski of Tottenham Hotspur.

Odegaard will have the opportunity to face off against the side who did so much to try and secure his signature, as Arsenal travel to the Etihad Stadium this Friday for the FA Cup fourth round, while a Premier League double-header against the reigning Champions still awaits.