Martin Odegaard has revealed the agreement he made with Norway teammate Erling Haaland as the Premier Leaguetitle race intensifies between Arsenal and Manchester City. Arsenal are chasing their first league crown since 2004, but are only four points clear of Haaland and co as we enter the business end of the season.
The Norwegian pair, who share a great relationship off the pitch, have faced each other numerous times in the Premier League, with Odegaard at Arsenal since 2021 and Haaland joining City in 2022. Haaland has played a major role in City's recent title pushes and has scored in his last two to help Pep Guardiola's men close the gap on the Gunners.
Odegaard, who has only won the Community Shield with Arsenal, will hope he can get one over his friend this time round, having had to settle for second in the past three seasons.
The two will remain fierce rivals for the next few months with the title set to go down to the wire, yet Odegaard insists their friendship off the pitch will remain intact - as long as one promise is kept: What happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch.
"We’re really relaxed about it," Odegaard told FourFourTwo. "He knows, I know, everyone knows that we’re competing against each other.
"That's just the way it is. But when it comes to the national team, or even outside of football, we don't really talk about it at all.
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"We’re just normal friends. We talk about other things, or about the national team when we’re together.
"We don't really speak about football that much. It’s very relaxed and we're good friends and that's how it should be.
"Whatever happens during the game stays out on the pitch. That’s one of the nice things about football. You give everything, you leave everything out there, then you move on.
"We focus on ourselves, on the things that we can control."
Arsenal, who are in FA Cup fourth‑round action against Wigan this afternoon (Sunday), will then face Wolves at Molineux before the north London derby against Tottenham next Sunday (February 22).
City, meanwhile, will host Newcastle United, who will be without captain Bruno Guimaraes after he picked up a hamstring injury.
Pep Guardiola's side closed the gap to just four points with a 3-0 win over Fulham at the Etihad Stadium, while Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw at Brentford.
When the season concludes, Odegaard will link up with Haaland in the Norway national team for this summer's World Cup. Norway's strong qualifying campaign has seen them end a 28‑year absence from a major tournament.
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