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• It’s a great place – Martin Odegaard feels at home at Arsenal after new deal

  Martin Odegaard insists it was a “no-brainer” to become the latest Arsenal player to commit his future to the club and is now dreaming of leading his team-mates to trophy success.

  The 24-year-old Arsenal skipper has signed a new contract until 2028 as he follows in the footsteps of the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba in extending his Emirates Stadium deal.

  Odegaard has been pivotal to the club’s transformation into Premier League title challengers, leading by example with 15 goals and seven assists as the Gunners finished second to Manchester City last term.

  He has three goals in six appearances already this season and the club announced on Friday that the reward for such fine form was a new five-year deal.

  “It was an easy decision for me. As I said many times, I felt connected and I felt at home here since the first day,” said Odegaard, who initially joined on loan from Real Madrid in January 2021 before making the move permanent that summer.

  “Also I was moving around a lot and struggling to really settle down, so I felt like I needed a place to come and settle down and to kind of find a home.

  “That’s what I did here and I felt it from the first day, so it was easy for me to commit. I’m also excited for what we’re doing now and for the future, so I’m really happy.”

  Asked about several key players signing contract extensions in recent months, the Norway international added: “It just shows what we’re doing as a club. People want to be here as part of the project.

  “What we’re doing is really special and the players see what the manager wants to do and how the club is progressing, the connection we now have with the fans.

  “I think it’s a no-brainer for the players to be part of that. With so many hungry young players, it’s a great place to be.

  “Of course it’s a good thing. You see the players around you want to be a part of what we’re doing and it shows just how connected we are as a team.

  “All the players want the same thing, they want to stay for a long time and really fight for the club and win things together. It shows the family feeling we have.”

  While Arsenal topped the table for much of last season before ultimately being pipped by City, the need to win major silverware with such a talented squad is clear.

  Mikel Arteta won the FA Cup in his first season at the helm and Odegaard knows more is expected of the squad in the coming years.

  “I think you can see that now – even though we’re a young team, you can see the quality, the responsibility the players take,” he added.

  “Experience is not just about age. It’s also about what you’ve done. I think the young players we have already have a lot of experience. Of course we need to improve all the time.

  “But I’m sure with the mentality of all the team, the players, coaching staff, I’m sure we’re just going to get better and better. And I want to be part of that.

  “We have a bigger squad with more depth, we can play different ways and we will need the whole squad with so many competitions this season. I’m very confident in what we’re doing.

  “Of course I am thinking about it (lifting trophies as Arsenal captain). That is the big dream, the big goal, to win things with the club.

  “That’s why I have signed here as well, because I believe we can achieve some great things. That’s the big goal and I am sure if we work hard, we can get to something really nice.”

• Football rumours: Jadon Sancho set for cut-price January sale
  What the papers say

  The clock appears to be ticking on Jadon Sancho’s time at Manchester United. The Daily Star reports United are willing to sell the England winger, 23, in January for less than the £73million they paid Borussia Dortmund.

  Another winger is being linked to a move to Old Trafford, with Manchester United among several clubs keen on Club Brugge youngster Antonio Nusa. The Daily Express reports Arsenal and Chelsea are also interested in the 18-year-old Norwegian, who is valued around £30million.

  One forward not going anywhere is Son Heung-min. According to the Daily Telegraph, Tottenham are ready to trigger an option in the South Korean’s contract which will keep the 31-year-old at the club for a further year until 2026.

  There are comings and goings off the pitch at Tottenham. The Guardian reports chief scout Leonardo Gabbanini has left the club ahead of the appointment of a new sporting director.

  Social media round-upPlayers to watch

  Michail Antonio: Wolves, Everton and Nottingham Forest could step in if the 33-year-old striker fails to agree a new deal at West Ham.

  Khephren Thuram: Liverpool and Tottenham are among several top European clubs on the trail of Nice’s 22-year-old France midfielder.

• 60 to 1: Reggae Girlz faces daunting Canada task with Olympic hopes on the line

  In their past nine meetings with Canada, Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz have lost every match by a combined score of 60-1.

  But Head coach Lorne Donaldson doesn’t need a statistics lesson to know that his ever-improving Reggae Girlz team faces a stern examination of their history-making credentials, as they seek to end a winless run against the formidable reigning Olympic champions in an important assignment.

  Donaldson’s side ranked at 37th and the number 10-ranked Canadians lock horns in the first of their two-leg Olympic qualifying playoff at the National Stadium on Friday at 7:00pm Jamaica time, with both aiming to draw first blood and, by extension, put themselves in pole position to secure a berth to next year's Olympic Games in France.

  The second leg is scheduled for September 26 at a sold-out BMO Field in Toronto.

  While acknowledging the daunting nature of their task against the three-time Olympic medallists, Donaldson is hoping the Reggae Girlz can turn in an efficient performance in their bid to defy the odds and their doubters on local soil.

  “Canada is the Olympic champion, they have won a lot of stuff, we haven’t proven anything yet so they have a right to be favourite. So we have to be good, we have to play really well to beat the Olympic champions,” Donaldson told Sportsmax.tv.

  “We’re ready for a tough battle and it will take its own course, I’m sure. it’s a pretty important game to both teams so we just want to come out and play hard…as hard as we can and see what we can get out of it. That’s our aim, to come out and play as hard and be very effective in what we are trying to do,” he added.

  The Reggae Girlz, who are coming off a confident run at the Fifa Women’s World Cup, where they finished second in Group F, holding top 10-ranked teams France and Brazil to goalless stalemates, complemented by a 1-0 victory over Panama, before losing 0-1 to Colombia in the Round of 16.

  It was the first time since 1938 that a Caribbean team –male or female –contested the knockout stages at the global showpiece and the Girlz have a chance to not only build on that momentum, but also become the first Caribbean team to qualify for women’s football at the Olympics.

  This, as Canada in seven matches so far this year, have registered two wins, one draw and four losses, scoring just five goals, while conceding a whopping 12.

  But, even with that in mind, Donaldson maintains that his team will have to be at their best to achieve the intended results.

  “We had a journey of all sorts, including the World Cup and those highs and lows prepares us for games like this. So it’s a challenge that we’re looking forward to and we have to try and score goals, it is as simple as that.

  “We have to minimize what we give up because it’s a two-leg fixture, so we have to get a result from this leg and then go from there. So yeah, we’re going to have to be in top form to get a result,” Donaldson reasoned.

  Though he has 20 players from his World Cup squad, led by 2022 Concacaf Women's Player of the Year and a finalist for this year's Ballon d'Or, Khadija “Bunny” Shaw in camp, Donaldson pointed out the decision on a starting team remains up in the air, as a few players are nursing niggles.

  However, he expressed pleasure with what was displayed during three full sessions, all focused on their tactical approach.

  “The first session was lively; the second one was a bit sub-par, but the players regained some tempo for the last session because they know the objective and I am sure they are shooting for it.

  “Everything has been focused on tactics and what we want to do, which is to go in and get a result. So, we are just taking it in stride honour anything we need to honour, and try to finish up on a good note,” the tactician said.

  Meanwhile, Canada’s head coach Bev Priestman will have 19 of the 23 players, who were part of her World Cup roster, including captain Christine Sinclair and a trio of Chelsea players — workhorse midfielder Jessie Fleming and defenders Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence.

  Notable absences from that group are now-retired veteran midfielder Sophie Schmidt, as well as fullback Allysha Chapman, who is out for personal reasons. Fullback Jayde Riviere and forward Deanne Rose were originally named to the roster but will miss the qualifiers due to injuries.

  Still, Priestman said her team is ready and raring to go.

  “We all are itching to get back on the pitch and we want nothing more than to start our journey to the Olympic Games through these playoffs,” Priestman noted.

  “We know it will be a tough challenge in front of us and it won’t be easy, but we are ready to rise to that challenge, the group feels fresh and excited, and we’re ready to go,” she added.