Martin Odegaard Returns to Arsenal Training Ahead of Pre-Season
Martin Odegaard is back in Arsenal colours at London Colney, but the captain will have to wait a little longer before pulling the strings on a pitch again.
The Norwegian reported back for pre-season this week after his post-World Cup break, with Arsenal confirming his return through their official channels. Training photos from London Colney showed Odegaard stepping back into the rhythm of club life while most of Mikel Arteta’s senior squad were elsewhere.
The main group is in Dublin preparing for Wednesday night’s friendly against Real Betis, and Odegaard will play no part in that game. He hasn’t yet linked up with his teammates on tour and, crucially, Arsenal are in no rush.
This is a pattern, not an exception.
Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli only rejoined the group last week after their own delayed returns from World Cup duty. Neither featured in the following matchday squad against Girona. The message from Arsenal’s medical and fitness staff is clear: no shortcuts.
Players are being eased back in, given several days to rebuild sharpness and conditioning before they are exposed to match intensity. The club is protecting its core, even if it means short-term absences from pre-season fixtures.
The timing of Odegaard’s return fits neatly into that plan.
Brazil’s World Cup campaign ended on July 5th for Gabriel and Martinelli. Norway’s tournament finished on July 11th, so a staggered return for their captain a week after the Brazilian duo always looked logical.
The same calendar math now applies to the rest of Arsenal’s World Cup contingent. Those who exited the tournament seven or eight days after Norway are expected back by Thursday of next week. It will leave them with a brutally tight window before the Community Shield on Sunday, August 16th.
No one at the club is banking on them being ready to start that showpiece. Match fitness doesn’t bend to the schedule.
The more realistic target lies closer to home.
Odegaard is expected to be in contention for some minutes in the Emirates Cup clash against Borussia Dortmund this weekend. That fixture, in front of Arsenal’s own supporters, offers a more controlled stage for his first steps back into match action.
Recent evidence hints at the plan. Against Girona, Piero Hincapie, Kai Havertz, and Viktor Gyokeres each played roughly half an hour. That kind of carefully managed run-out is likely to be the template again: limited minutes for the Gabriels on Wednesday, similar treatment for Odegaard on Sunday.
The captain is back in the building, the touch will return, the tempo will follow. The question now is not whether he’ll be ready for the season, but how quickly Arsenal can knit their returning internationals into a side expected to set the pace again.
