Martin Odegaard has been excellent for Arsenal over the last few weeks which has been proven with his superiority over midfielders who are also equipped with bags of potential
The Norwegian is ranked as one of the most creative players in Europe under the age of 23 this season with only five players ranking higher for key chances per 90 minutes than the 23-year-old.
Odegaard is ranked higher than Mason Mount, who has been considered as one of Chelsea’s best players in the last couple of seasons and was pivotal to their Champions League triumph in 2021.
Mikel Arteta had conducted some shrewd business during the summer transfer window, and the acquisition of Odegaard has certainly played a big role in that.
The midfielder started the season well and was a regular in the Arsenal side, which was topped off by a magnificent free-kick against Burnley that sealed a 1-0 win for the Gunners.
However, his good form ended shortly after the match at Turf Moor, and a consistent run of poor performances had left him out of Arteta’s plans and onto the bench as the team adopted a 4-4-2 system, which did not suit him.
Despite opportunities being hard to come by, he was finally given a chance and he completely turned his season around.
The Gunners have won their last four matches, and Odegaard has played a crucial part in this, as he has started every game.
He also had a goal contribution in the last three Premier League matches and has started to link the midfield to the attack, which has ignited the attacking phase to Arsenal’s game, which Arteta’s side had been struggling with so far this season.
Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold are the only players in the Premier League under the age of 23 to have averaged more key passes per 90 minutes than Odegaard so far this season.
The Arsenal midfielder had been subjected to a lot of criticism this campaign and had been scapegoated for some of the team’s poor performances this season, which was certainly unjustified, as sometimes the system did not match the strengths of the Norweigan.
But now, he is really showing his quality and proving that the £30m spent on him in the summer, will turn out to be labeled as a bargain transfer.
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