VIDEO: Arteta on Odegaard’s contract: 'We want to keep him here for a long time'

There have been a lot of rumours recently about whether Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard would extend his stay at the Emirates Stadium club. Arsenal are close to reaching a new deal with the Norwegian player to extend his contract with the Gunners for more years.

Mikel Arteta spoke at a pre-match press conference ahead of the Everton game about the club and the player's situation. "He's our captain. He's a massive player for us and a really important player for us now and for the future. And we are extremely happy to have him and we want to keep him here for a long time," said the Arsenal coach.

The Spanish coach was asked if he is optimistic about the possibility of the club closing a deal with the player to extend his contract. "I'm always optimistic and we have a really good relationship with him, with his agent, we are really close to them and whenever that's confirmed, we will announce it," the 41-year-old added.