Arsenal consider move for Tottenham tormentor as transfer alternative to Martin Odegaard

Arsenal: The remaining Premier League fixtures

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Arsenal are reportedly eyeing a move for Dinamo Zagreb winger Mislav Orsic, whose hat-trick earlier this month dumped Tottenham Hotspur out of the Europa League. Orsic helped Zagreb overturn a 2-0 aggregate deficit to win their last 16 tie 3-2.

Orsic scored all three goals in the second leg to eliminate Spurs and set up a quarter-final tie with Villarreal.

Speaking after the game, Orsic said: “I think everyone is a hero tonight because we all breathed as one in an unforgettable match.

“We were gutted after the 2-0 defeat in London because we felt we had it in us to do better and we couldn’t put a foot wrong tonight.

“It was a dream come true.”

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According to a report from The Times (via The Sun), Orsic’s performance has put him on Arsenal’s radar.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is said to be keen to strengthen his attack in the summer and Orsic, who has six caps for Croatia, is being monitored.

The 28-year-old could be an alternative to Martin Odegaard, who has impressed on loan at the Emirates this season.

Arsenal are keen to make the move permanent but they have no option to buy and the player has a reported release clause of £301m.

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Arsenal will need to enter negotiations with Real to try and secure Odegaard on a permanent basis but, given his impressive form, the La Liga side will likely demand a hefty fee for the midfielder.

The Gunners are unlikely to be able to spend big in the summer, having reported a £47.8m loss for the most recent financial year.

Should they be unable to sign Odegaard, Orsic may prove to be a more viable alternative.

The 28-year-old is primarily a left-winger and his signing would allow Emile Smith Rowe to return to his preferred central role, having been moved out wide to accommodate Odegaard.

Speaking earlier this month, Arteta explained that Arsenal’s summer plans were already in motion.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Arteta said: “We are planning everything for the summer, the same with the board, with [chief executive] Vinai [Venkatesham], with [non-executive director] Tim [Lewis], and with the owners.

“We are very clear on how we want to do it. When you have to change 10 or 12 things in one window [as in January] it’s a lot, and that has some consequences with what has happened in previous months and what is going to happen in the following months.

“We still have quite a lot of things to do, but we will get to the point, hopefully, where it’s just ticking off a few things and the stability is there, because you need that as well to be consistent and be competitive.

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