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Swap deal? Arsenal make offer for perfect Martin Odegaard replacement
Tom Weber
- 7 Feb 2026 07:02 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Arsenal hold an interest in Real Madrid attacker Brahim Diaz amid reports that Martin Odegaard could depart the club in 2026.
The Gunners spent lavishly in the summer transfer window and need to be mindful of financial regulations, particularly UEFA's Squad Cost Ratio rule. After boasting the largest net spend in the world in the summer, Arsenal are believed to be sailing close to the wind.
Securing major silverware would go some way towards alleviating concerns, but it may not be enough to prevent the North London club from potentially having to make one or two painful sales after this season.
Current ETV
Martin Ødegaard
M, AM (C)
Arsenal
Martin Ødegaard
M, AM (C)
Arsenal
ETV Range
€69.7M - €85.2M
Plenty of candidates have been mentioned in the media: Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and even captain Martin Odegaard are all said to be potentially at risk of being offloaded.
It has recently been claimed that Real Madrid are keen to re-sign Odegaard. Whether there is any truth in these claims is up for debate, but it could allow Arsenal to secure a very interesting player in return.
Brahim to Arsenal makes sense
According to Africa Foot, Arsenal hold a concrete interest in Real Madrid attacker Brahim Diaz and even made a last-ditch attempt at signing him on Deadline Day when Andrea Berta scoured the market for an injury replacement for Mikel Merino.
Real Madrid responded with a firm rejection, but Brahim's future will again come into focus this summer, despite the fact that he is thought to be close to signing a contract extension. He has never managed to nail down a regular starting spot and is simply too talented to be a squad player.
A relationship with Mikel Arteta is already in place as the two spent three years together at Man City between 2016 and 2019. The data also suggests that the 26-year-old would be a good fit for the North London club.
Analytics firm SciSports collects hundreds of data points to calculate a Club Fit rating for players. In the case of Brahim, only Newcastle and AS Roma have a better score than Arsenal, with 73.
The only concern would be over playing time, but this would become a moot point should Odegaard depart. It is believed that a move to the Emirates would be ideal for Brahim's development and could help him become a consistently world-class player.
Arsenal fans may object to the suggestion of signing Brahim at the expense of Odegaard, but with the captain having struggled to stay fit in recent seasons, it could be a shrewd move.
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